November 4th in Beijing. Where can I find some evidence that today is the day of the USA election? In Beijing, as Couscous already heard when we were here this summer, most people seem to have little interest in the upcoming historical event. As I search online to see if I can get any ideas as to where to start, I find a recent article on the website of Gallup about how most Chinese have no opinion regardinig the US election. (read here). Those Chinese that do have an opinion tend to prefer Obama. I decide to cycle to the US Embassy to see of there are any signs of the election taking place today. It’s a sunny day, with little wind and the one American flag I see, is hanging limply from it’s flagpole. In no way does there seem to be anything special going on. At the east entrance people are lining up to apply for a visa. I walk around the walled compound to see if there’s anything worth noting. Nada. Nothing. Just a tranquil moat around the building with sculptures floating in it. It seems to be business as usual.

Across the street is the entrance to a rather grimy looking alley full of bars. One of the stalls next to the entrance is blasting hip-hop, which is really the only bit of Americana that I find today. A black hip-hopper doll in front of the stall window sports a t-shirt with written on it: Xzibit, weapons of mass destruction, rap wallpapers. Listen to some of the (obscene) rap coming out of their speakers here:

Not a very spectacular report, I know, considering how BIG the
elections are, and how many of you are following them closely. But here in China, the whole concept of electing is alien to most people, and that is one of the reasons they are n’t particulary excited about the event.