Young Chinese Cheer Obama's Victory

In Beijing, hundreds of Chinese and Americans crowded into a hotel ballroom to watch the election results. The crowd erupted in applause as Barack Obama was declared the victor. Many Chinese - especially young students - waved Obama signs as state after state went his way.

'Obama is very young and very energetic. He represents the American dream,' said Wan Bin, a student at Chinese Foreign Affairs University who came to the event with his fellow students. 'If you have a dream, you can succeed.'

Sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce, the event encouraged all attending to cast mock ballots, and kiosks explained the quirks of America's voting system.

Wan said that he isn't sure that an American-style election could be held in China, but he said that elections are taking place in villages. 'We can imagine something like this,' said Wan, 24, who is from Hunan Province. 'Right now, in our villages, we have elections. But we have a long way to go.' He said he hopes to be a diplomat.

北京，数百名中国人和美国人挤在一家酒店的舞厅里观看美国大选结果。当奥巴马(Barack Obama)宣布获得胜利时，人群中爆发出一阵热烈的掌声。许多中国人、特别是年轻的学生在奥巴马拿下一个又一个州的过程中不断挥舞着奥巴马的标志为他助威。

中国外交学院(Chinese Foreign Affairs University)一位名叫万斌（音）的学生说，奥巴马非常年轻、非常有活力，他代表着美国梦。他是和同学一起来这里观看大选结果的。“有梦想就会成功，”他说。

此次由美国驻华大使馆和美国商会主办的活动鼓励所有参加者参与模拟投票，并设立了信息台为人们讲解美国选举系统的来龙去脉。

万斌说，美国式的选举能否在中国举行还不好说，不过他说此类选举已经在中国农村地区展开。今年24岁的万斌来自湖南省，他说，我们可以想像这样的事情。如今在我们的农村地区也有选举，但中国选举还有很长的路要走。他表示希望能成为一名外交官。