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Tears of joy shed at Beijing bash
By Erik Nilsson (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-06 09:35 Tears streamed down Californian Frankye Kelly's face as she watched Barack Obama's speech on TV yesterday with 1,000 other guests at the US Presidential Results Election Party at the Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel.
Many who attended the event organized by the US Embassy and American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in China jumped up and down, hugged each other and waved flags between bursts of thunderous applause throughout the party. "What made me tear up, was, as an African-American woman knowing the country voted for Barack Obama because we want change, and now we have hope," Kelly said. "Being here, watching it on the big screen with all these people, being in the moment, it was like I was there with (Obama), listening to him make his speech." The event gave academics, students, government officials and media from the international community in Beijing an opportunity to learn about the US electoral system. For Americans, it was also a chance to celebrate the election with compatriots. Obama beat John McCain by 239 to 65, or almost 75 percent, in the party's mock election, which used sample ballots from California. "We tried to make it as authentic as possible," Richard Buangan, US Embassy deputy press spokesman, said. "The real goal wasn't to see who Chinese people voted for it was to expose them to the natural American political process, so they could see how a typical American votes." A lot of the questions Chinese participants asked pertained to the ballots, and many were surprised to see they included more than presidential candidates, he said. "I think we got the point across that voting's not easy; you have to go in informed," Buangan said. US Minister Counselor for public affairs Don Washington said: "This makes it more alive than in a textbook We're delighted there is this interest in our political system, because the more we know about each other, the better." Beijinger Wang Rui said the event helped her better understand US culture and politics. "I didn't have such strong feelings about American people and the American government before this event, but now, I feel like American people are like Chinese people - we all love our countries," the 23-year-old student said. Wang said she voted for Obama in the mock election, because: "His victory shows that no matter what race, religion or gender you are, your dreams can come true". It was a feeling Kelly shared. "Now, Martin Luther King's dream has come true, that people are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," she said. "It's hard to believe. It's like all of the sudden, someone's going to stick a pin in me, and it won't be true." US Ambassador to China Clark Randt said the event offered a chance for exchange. "This election event provides an opportunity for the American community to come together with our Chinese friends," he said, inviting participants "to watch, enjoy, ask questions and see democracy in action". Elisabeth Koch, of Georgia, said she went to the party alone but soon made many friends thanks to her homemade star-spangled, red-white-and-blue straw hat. "A lot of Chinese people wanted their picture taken with me because I was wearing the hat," she said. She said she was glad she decided to go to the party rather than watching TV at home. "Having so many people around made it more emotional," she said. |
