Panjiayuan Ghost Market (潘家园鬼市)

Peking · China · Urban site · Scare 2/5

In the dark before dawn, lanterns drift like ghost-fires between the stalls – at Beijing's 'ghost market' you never know who is selling, or whether the seller will still exist at sunrise.

The Panjiayuan antiques market is heir to the late empire's 'ghost markets'. When the Qing dynasty fell, ruined noblemen and courtiers were forced to sell their ancestors' treasures – but the shame could not bear daylight. Deals were struck in the dark before dawn, when no face could be recognised: buyers and sellers groped between the stalls by flint-spark and lantern light that flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, and when the sun rose everyone was gone. Hence the name: the ghost market. Around it the legends grew – of dealers who bought a treasure from a pale stranger and at dawn found the payment turned to grave money, of stalls that no one else had seen. To this day Panjiayuan opens in the night-dark around four o'clock, and old collectors say, half in earnest, that you should look the seller in the eyes – in case he has any.

FAQ

How scary is Panjiayuan Ghost Market (潘家园鬼市)?

Panjiayuan Ghost Market (潘家园鬼市) has a scare factor of 2/5 according to Haunted Places’ verified ratings.

Where is Panjiayuan Ghost Market (潘家园鬼市) located?

Panjiayuan Ghost Market (潘家园鬼市) is in Peking, China.