Pro-Clinton Election Parties in Beijing Turn Glum as Trump Takes Lead

Heavily Pro-Hillary Clinton election watch parties in Beijing turned glum by noon today as predictions began to favor an upset victory by Donald Trump in the race for the US president.

"This is unreal," said one pro-Clinton election watcher who turned up at Caravan early this morning, confident of a Clinton victory.

"This is not what I expected," said one backpacker from Boston. "I expected an early and easy victory for Hillary."

In the bars our crack staff staked out – The Local, The Bookworm and Caravan – few Trump supporters were spotted rooting for their candidate, indicating near universal support for Hillary at public viewing parties.

Far from being raucously partisan, most viewers appeared to be spending a vast majority of their time staring into their phones and laptops in search of a clever meme or the latest polling results.

Crowds (as expected) have been heavily American but have also attracted a smattering of expats from other parts of the world, though few local Chinese. By early morning both The Local and The Bookworm were packed out with over 100 viewers at each location, while smaller venues like Caravan were also filled to capacity.

“Even though I’m not American, it’s still interesting to watch – to see America elect a president and see history get made,” said one British-Chinese viewer watching from a Beijing bar.

As of noon, some pollsters were beginning to heavily favor Trump -- including the New York Times, which elicited groans from some. "This is painful," uttered one American watcher.

Another viewer reacted by pulling up his hood, yanking the drawstrings tight and going into a semi fetal position.

"I'm absolutely devastated that as a country we can become even more insular, anti-science, and xenophobic than we already are," said long-term Beijing-based expat American Chris Barden, who watched from The Local.

"As a Chinese person watching this, it's a bit surreal, like a funny show," said Ying, a Chinese viewer at Caravan. "But at the same time, my Chinese friends in the US will be affected by this, because if the immigration policy changes under Trump, their job prospects and way of life will totall change."

"If Trump should win, It'll show you that America still has a long way to go in terms of racial equality and gender equality," said one Nigerian viewer.

Not all American expats were disappointed by the prospect of a Trump victory, but even his supporters were surprised by the now expected outcome.

"I am shocked but elated," said Liora Perlman, a long-term Beijing-based American. "I had fully expected some computer rigging to hand Hillary the election," she said. "Instead, we see true deomcracy in progress! It's been truly uplifting and has erased years of cyncism from between my furrowed brows."

By noon, many began packing up and leaving dejectedly, and the parties began taking on the air of a deflated balloon. "That's it, that's all my heart can take," said one as he packed up to leave the party.

Images: Kyle Mullin, Kenn Bermel, iFeng.com