Chinese Internet users are vigorously discussing their unfulfilled dreams and reflecting on the meaning of life as "the end of the world" draws near.

Microblogging to the end of the world ... [File photo]

December 21 marks the conclusion of a 5,125-year-long Mayan calendar, a point associated with the apocalypse.

A post by "Sao Congcong" which simply said "1999.05.28-2012.12.21," indicating the dates of his birth and predicted death was immediately popular, with millions of others copying the format on their microblogs.

Most of the posts also include an epitaph, a wish list, or a sentence expressing their thoughts about life.

The wishes range from making breakfast for parents to becoming a superman to save the world. But most are everyday matters to do with family and friends, and are full of love, faith and hope.

"Red Sun" said he plans to quit his job and find employment in his hometown so he can spend more time with his 70-year-old father. He said the "apocalypse" forecast had helped him make up his mind.

"In the past, I thought I still had plenty of time to weigh pros and cons; now I know time waits for no man," he said.

Others are taking positive actions to make their dreams come true. "Brown sugar" and her five friends plan to spend the winter solstice in Tibet, like the survivors of Hollywood disaster movie "2012."

"Why don't we just do it instead of sighing in regret that we had not lived life fully?" she asked

Several companies are giving employers extra days off on December 20 and 21.

"Few people believe the world will end, but we can take advantage of it to spend time with our loved ones," said a Wuhan IT firm CEO surnamed Du, who considers "doomsday" a chance for revelry.

However, others are taking the prophecy more seriously.

Panic buying of candles has swept two counties in Sichuan Province, while a man named Lu Zhenghai in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region spent his life savings to build an ark for 20 people in order to survive flooding on the day.

People across the country have been scammed, with swindlers encouraging them to buy good-luck tokens at sky-high prices or to give away their savings.

Shanghai police issued a public warning on Weibo.com after handling 25 cases relating to the apocalypse within 24 hours. They said: "The end of the world is pure rumor, do not believe it."

As the paranoia intensifies, institutions including the Beijing Planetarium and the Astronomical Society of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have used the media to try to scotch the rumor, sending the message: "December 21 is a normal day."

Xia Xueluan, professor of sociology at Peking University, said: "We've lived through several so-called doomsdays in the past decade ... people take satisfaction in talking about them."

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