Photo: VCG

On the first day of the last month of the decade, adult Chinese netizens were asked to recall what they imagined 2020 would be like when they were children.

The online topic has been viewed more than 410 million times as of press time.

Some netizens quoted their essays from primary school. "By 2020, I imagined we would be able to fold school buildings and blackboards will be changed into multimedia screens. Students in any classroom would be able to choose the teachers they wanted from anywhere in the country," one of Sina Weibo users wrote.

Netizens said their young minds imagined that by 2020 there would be flying cars and houses would be built on the sea so people could watch from their balconies as dolphins swam past.

Net users also recalled imagining what their own life would be like in 2020. "I thought I would go to the best university and become a great scientist and change the world. I wanted to be the world's best person," a netizen wrote.

Another netizen wrote about his hopes for 2020, saying he wants to be a father but, alas, doesn't even have a girlfriend.

By recalling their childhood hopes and dreams of 2020, many netizens reflected on the things they didn't imagine coming true. "Although flying cars haven't been invented, China's manufacturing capability has grown much stronger. While my early dreams of what 2020 would be like haven't come true, I will try to become a better person."