Editior's   Note

Believe it or not, the day is finally coming, the legendary December 21, 2012, or "end of the world" according to the Mayan calendar in the blockbuster 2012 that premiered in 2009. Since then, a bunch of end-of-the-world sayings and ideas have sprung up in China.

In   Sichuan

	Doomsday rumors trigger panic buying, reflection Candles and matches have almost sold out in two southwest China counties following online rumors of a coming doomsday event that some believe will bring the end of the world. Panic buying in Shuangliu and Longchang counties, both located in Sichuan province, was stirred by rumors of "three consecutive days of darkness after Dec. 21."
	Lucky employees get Armageddon holiday A manager of a network technology company in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, recently announced that his employees would be given a two-day holiday for "doomsday." The Sina Weibo user named Darryn published a notice Wednesday saying that the Mayan prophecy of the end of the world is coming, and that he decided to free his workers on December 20 and 21.

In   Henan

School slasher driven by ‘doomsday’ belief The suspect in a knife attack on 23 elementary school children in Central China's Henan Province had been driven to commit the crime by predictions of the end of the world, an initial investigation by the public security department revealed Monday. According to the initial police probe, Min Yongjun, 36, a long-time epilepsy sufferer, attacked an elderly woman who lived next to the school and the students after hearing that according to the Mayan calendar, the end of the world would fall on December 21.

In   Xinjiang

Man builds boat to weather apocalypse A man from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, afraid that his home would be submerged in a doomsday flood in 2012, has poured his life savings of 1 million yuan ($160,500) into building what he hopes will be his own indestructible ark. Lu Zhenghai began building the boat in 2010, China News Service reported.

In   Jiangsu

Nanjing woman mortgages home to donate millions before doomsday A woman from Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, secretly mortgaged her home in order to donate thousands of yuan as a good deed before doomsday, the Modern Express reported Tuesday. The 54-year-old woman, who wished to use the surname Jiang, is a retired engineer. Her husband works as a university professor and her daughter is currently earning her PhD.

In   Shanghai

2012 prophecies draw police ire Shanghai police received 25 complaints about people prognosticating doomsday prophecies outside of residents' homes in eight districts Wednesday and Thursday, the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau said on its official microblog.

In   Qinghai

China detains 93 over doomsday rumors China has detained 93 people for spreading rumors of a supposed forthcoming apocalypse in December, according to authorities in seven provincial-level regions.   They include 37 members of the Christian "Almighty God" cult in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

In   Zhejiang

China's Noah's Ark Yang Zongfu, a merchant and inventor from Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, unveiled his own ark to the world earlier this year. Yang's ark can float on water, and is equipped with safety seats, a communication system, and a toilet. There is also a first-aid kit and a year's supply of food inside. Yang has received 21 orders for private arks, ranging in price from 1 million yuan to 5 million yuan ($160,100 to $800,500).

On online shopping website

Doomsday business is booming If you log on to taobao.com (a widely used B2C online website in China) and input key words "end of the world," there are over 30,000 items that show up for sale such as a related steamer ticket, posters, a model of Noah's ark and a selection of crazy doomsday party tickets.

In   bookstores

Final sales of "end-of-the-world" themed books If anyone takes the "end-of-the-world" saying as a serious thing, it would be the group of writers who have published books that might make you wonder if it's really true. In some domestic bookstores there are sections devoted to various "end-of-the-world" themed books like The Truth of Mayan's Prophecy, Survival Tips for the End of the World, and Savages of the End of the World.

In  cinemas

3D version of "2012" hits Chinese screens 3D version of disaster film "2012" debuted in China on November 20. The film repeated its performance in 2009, when the film raked in about 74.5 million U.S. dollars to top the box office at that time.

How are you bracing for the end of the world?

Do you believe the world is about to end? How do you plan to survive? Global Times hit the streets to find out.

Gyula Benda, sports coach, Hungary
I can't say whether I believe it or not, but I hope to spend my last day with my girlfriend if it is the end of the world. We met in Nepal, where I taught her paragliding. I hope if the world ends I can spend my last day in Nepal kissing my girlfriend as we paraglide.

Kazuki Nakayama, exchange student, Japan
I don't believe in the doomsday. Actually, maybe it's more accurate to say that I don't want to believe it. But if I have to face the apocalypse, I think I would spend it with my family. We would enjoy my mother's cooking. My parents, sister and I would sit around watching TV. Most importantly, I would tell them how happy and grateful I have been throughout my 21 years of life, and that I love them.

Ying Chen, college freshman, China
I don't know if December 21 is the last day of the world, but if it is I will leave the world with so much regret. I have had a poor relationship with my father since I was young. Our relationship improved slowly after I enrolled at college, but two months ago he had a serious stroke and has remained unconscious ever since. I have spent every minute of my spare time with him. On December 21, I'll join my mother in the hospital to tell him how much we love him. If it is the end of the world, I hope he wakes up beforehand and tells us that he loves us, too.

More opinions...

Experts' opinions: World not to end

Rare quakes are not sign that worse is yet to come
Following a spate of earthquakes in East China in recent months, Web users are questioning whether they point to earthquakes yet to come, with some speculating the Mayan doomsday prophecy may be true, said a Wednesday report on the news portal eastday.com.

New discovery proves Maya's "world end" claim totally groudles
A new archaeological discovery in Guatemala has proven that a Mayan claim that "2012 will be the last year for human beings" is totally groudless, according to media reports.

World not to end on alleged doomsday: Brazil's space agency
The world will not end on Dec. 21, 2012, the so-called "doomsday" on the Mayan calendar, Brazil's National Space Research Institute (Inpe) said on December 17.

NASA rejects doomsday predictions
US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has rejected the doomsday predictions, denying any "planetary alignment" will happen and saying that even if such an event takes place, it will have little or no impact on the Earth.

On Global Times: comments hit doomsday

●Media should throw light into darkness of fresh rumors ●Community centers can be line of defense against panic ●Swept up in doomsday commercialism ●Choose your own apocalypse ●Apocalyptic fears highlight anxieties of public