People crowd a street in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province. Photo: CFP

We turn the last page of the calendar with mixed feelings. As the world comes to the end of a difficult year that has seen barbaric terrorism, a game-changing refugee crisis, clashing great powers and economic uncertainty, what China has gone through in 2015 is no less tumultuous and heart-wrenching.

Though this geo-political power and the world's second largest economy has never been out of the news in recent decades as it struggles to balance shifting power dynamics in and outside of the country, 2015 has been a significant and memorable year by anyone's criteria.

While the nation retains the tradition of collective thinking, the belief that the feelings of individuals at the heart of the year's biggest events represent a true and meaningful story is gaining ground.

The faces of such people reveal what happened in the year: excitement, hopefulness, baffllement, sorrow ... While the nation hopes for a bright future, along the way there won't be a shortage of pleasure or pain for ordinary people.

In 2015, China's people saw the nation's ever more assertive stance on the world stage but were anxious over its troubled economy. They raged over official negligence that led to deadly disasters, but rejoiced at their expanded legal right to have more children. Many felt pride during the military parade, but worry for their smog-shrouded cities.

After all this, we only hope for a calm and peaceful 2016 in which people can live light-heartedly and maybe in 2016 when we have a year-end roundup, the first emoji we will be able to think of is a face with a big smile.

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