真羡慕你们都晒了那年18

听说前几天你们都在晒那年18岁，

真羡慕你们，到时我也要晒18🙈

今天我们一起来聊一聊18岁的梗...

18!

China's social media filled with nostalgia at year-end

China's social media platform WeChat was abuzz[1] with people posting photographs of themselves aged 18, in recent days. The trend showed many Chinese readying themselves for 2018 in nostalgic mood.

[1]abuzz：filled with noise and activity 喧闹纷乱的；嘈杂的；忙乱的

When we arrived, the party was in full swing and the room was abuzz.

我们到达时，聚会已经到了高潮，房间里一片喧腾。

But why 18?

The trend was inspired by the fact the arrival of 2018 means even the youngest members of the '90s generation－those born from 1990 to 1999－have now turned 18 and entered adulthood.

For many, this milestone suggests a generational shift.

While some have simply posted images online of their younger selves, many have also shared memories of their hopes and dreams from that time, as well as reflections on the swift passing of time.

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=n13312bkqvt&width=500&height=375&auto=0

"Now the stage has been set for the post-00s generation," said an Internet user.

For many, posting the old photos was not just a coming-of-age[2] party for the post-90s generation, but an occasion to lament[3] the passing of time. "I was young and chubby[4]. Now I am old and thin. I would rather exchange the lost weight for the lost time," said one wistful WeChat user.

[2]coming-of-age：done to celebrate the fact that someone is legally an adult and old enough to vote 庆祝某人踏入成年而做（或举办等）的

a coming-of-age party

成人仪式，庆祝成人的派队

[3]lament：to express sadness and feeling sorry about something 对…感到悲痛，对…表示失望，痛惜

The poem opens by lamenting (over) the death of a young man.

这首诗的开篇表达了对一位青年之死的惋惜之情。

[4]chubby：(especially of children) fat in a pleasant and attractive way （尤指儿童）圆圆胖胖的，胖乎乎的，丰满的

chubby legs

胖乎乎的腿

"If I were 18 again, I would encourage my friends－especially the women－to read more books. I would aim higher and be more ambitious," she added. "I would spend more time in love before getting married, and I'd see more places overseas."

"I felt it was interesting, so I put up my pictures, too," said the 26-year-old, who in one image can be seen with four friends, all smiling into the camera, as they sit beside West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Fang Shilin, an engineer with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp[中国航天科技集团公司], posted two pictures on his WeChat Moments feed on Sunday after noticing that many of his friends had uploaded photos.

Kou was 18 when she first fell in love. She remembers being "muddled[5] but happy".

[5]muddled：A person who is muddled is confused 头脑不清楚的；糊涂的；困惑的

He became increasingly muddled as he grew older.

他年纪越大越糊涂。

Kou Ying, 53, was not a fan of the trend at first, but she quickly changed her attitude after seeing her friends' old photos.

"When I was 18, I never imagined that I'd be able to study in Germany and become a professional translator. It's interesting to look back," she said. "I haven't changed so much. Even my husband said I am still as simple as I was at 18 years old."

"It was a great time. When I look at these pictures, I miss my friends and the old days. Back then, all I wished for was that there would be no more exams in my life. Now the dream has come true," he said with a laugh.

On Sina Weibo, "photos taken at 18" was one of the hottest search topics on Sunday. Many netizens also urged celebrities to post their photos.

▼采访小学生，90后看了想打人

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=q0509xgdqmg&width=500&height=375&auto=0

Members of the '90s generation were born at a time when China was beginning to see significant results from its reform and opening-up policy, which was launched in 1978. They grew up with rapid development in the information era.

A lot of attention is also paid to this generation because its members, most of whom have no siblings, grew up in a better family environment than earlier generations. However, many have argued that this has led to the generation being "spoiled".