sequence

This uniqueness is not something to boast about, but rather a distinctive characteristic that lies somewhere between an era, history, and fate.

We have walked on the boundaries of poverty and wealth, freedom and constraint, goodness and evil, isolation and openness, money and wealth, morality and ethics, and century and era.

Even before we are born, our elders may have already decided on a very important part of our lives, which further contributes to this unique characteristic.

In elementary school, we would sing "The sun shines brightly, the flowers smile at me, the birds say good morning, why are you carrying your schoolbag?" in front of the teacher, while singing "I'm going to bomb the school, I'm never late, I pull the string and I run, the school is blown up with a bang" in front of our friends.

In junior high school, we studied human physiology and hygiene while watching the "Young and Dangerous" movies and researching "The Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Qing Dynasty."

In high school, we would pass notes while reading comics and practice taking the mock exams for the four cities of Dongcheng, Xicheng, and Haicheng, as well as the Huanggang test questions for the No. 4 Middle School.

During our university years, we were obsessed with the World Cup, reading Harry Potter, living together, and skipping classes, while also studying Deng Xiaoping Theory, Marxist Philosophy, Mao Zedong Thought, and the Three Represents.

We've eaten red bean popsicles, drunk Arctic Ocean soda, used ration coupons, eaten Häagen-Dazs, drunk Johnnie Walker, and used credit cards.

We've worn cotton-padded clothes, cotton-padded pants, and white sneakers; we've also worn ONLYTOUGH, Nike, and Adidas.

We have read "The Story of Lei Feng", "How the Steel Was Tempered", and "Red Crag", as well as "The Return of the Condor Heroes", "The Moon Is Hazy and the Birds Are Hazy" and "Ice Fantasy".

We have studied Tang and Song poetry, and we have also studied the works of Sanmao and Xi Murong on our own.

We've watched shows like "Yearning", "I Love My Family", and "The Legend of the White Snake", as well as "Love Will Carry On", "Full House", and "Prison Break".

We've played Contra and Super Mario Bros., and we've also played the Nintendo PSP.

We've liked the Four Heavenly Kings, Little Tigers, Jimmy Lin, Jay Chou, Nicholas Tse, TVXQ, and Super Girls.

We are both being watched and looked down upon.

We are both pampered and condemned.

We grow up secretly, protected by our parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents, while growing up with our boyfriends, girlfriends, classmates, childhood friends, and online acquaintances.

We—those born after 1980—are called "post-80s," and most of us are also known as only children.

We spent our childhood without computers and variety shows, and we are now experiencing adulthood without war and hunger.

Before we knew it, new-era idols were younger than us, Zidane had hung up his boots and Beckham had gone to the MLS, we started earning money to support our families and pay off mortgages and car loans, some of our peers had gotten married and had children, and some had even gotten married and divorced, and a friend told me about his first love and how he remembered how things were back then. Only then did I realize that we had grown up, had our own past, and had stories to tell.

Everyone has a youth, every youth has a story, every story has regrets, and every regret has an unforgettable beauty.

We are no exception.

If you are a person born in the 1980s, then you who are reading this article,

What were you doing when you were 16?

Can you still pronounce the names of your classmates from that time without missing a single word?

Do you have someone you like?

Are you still in contact with that person?

Are you still in the same city?

Have you ever dated?

Have you broken up?

Is it because they were too young that their love was too short-lived?

Or was it because of a lack of understanding that the harm was unintentional?

Whose hand are you holding now, the one you once held?

Do you still miss it sometimes?

Did you secretly make a vow?

Has it been achieved?

Or... have they forgotten everything?

When I asked these questions, I couldn't help but think of Fang Hui, Chen Xun, and many other things that were artistic yet real, sad yet unforgettable.

This is our story, a story from those fleeting years. If you were there, or if you still feel something for us, if you are reminiscing, or planning to recall it, if you criticized us, or carefully observed from the sidelines, then please listen to my story...