DOOMSDAY on December 21 would have been the high point of the year, but it came and went, bringing only a sudden temperature drop, heavy rain and chatter on the Internet.

When prophesy failed, we don't know what happened to those who actually believed in the Apocolypse, but in the run-up to that day, other Chinese prayed, donated to charity, joked, partied, prepared Noah's Arks and some committed crimes.

Apart from the end of the world, 2012 was a busy year for Chinese on and offline. Netizens were busy commenting on, arguing about, poking fun at just about everything.

They discussed the meaning for China of the US presidential election, as well as whether it was worth rescuing an abandoned dog in a remote village. Netizens also brought down a few corrupt officials - widely known as biao shu (表叔) or uncles of wristwatches - after they spotted them wearing luxury timepieces beyond the reach of public servants.

Chinese also discussed whether they were among the "tall, rich and handsome" or the "diaos" (屌丝 short, poor and ugly). They pondered the question "Are you happy?" and struck funny Gangnam-style poses and "aircraft carrier-style" pose with arms outstretched. They also were taking "a bite of" everything, including an overpriced Xinjiang street cake or qie gao (切糕), now a sarcastic synonym for high-end luxury.

They dug out every detail about China's "space goddess" Liu Yang, the first Chinese woman in space. And they were caught up in "Mo mania" (莫言热) arguing whether China's first winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature should wear a Western suit or traditional Chinese costume to accept his award.

Crowds of eager men flock around skimpily clad "models" at auto and every other kind of exhibition, madly snapping away and taking photos they could later savor. This gave rise to an uproar over nudity.

Shanghai Daily has picked some of most interesting news and buzzwords that give insight into debates, polarizing issues and many points of view in China.

Yuan Fang, what do you think? Yuan Fang, ni ze me kan? (元芳，你怎么看？)

In a TV serial set in ancient times, a detective always asks his sidekick, Yuan Fang, "What do you think?" Yuan always answers, "Boss, I think there's something suspicious about this."

Netizens quickly started asking Yuan Fang about everything, especially when they doubt official press releases and statements.

Example: Experts say the air quality is extremely good these days. Yuan Fang, what do you think?

Style

This English word is derived from "Gangnam style," the famous South Korean pop song, which inspired people around the world to mimic and create their own "style."

When J-15 warplanes took off and landed on China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, Internet users mimicked motions of crew members - down on one knee with their right arm outstretched, signaling that it was safe to take off. Netizens, including pop and sports celebrities, created their own hang mu (aircraft carrier 航母) style and uploaded their pictures and videos.

Example: Have you seen the hilarious "SD Style" (http://t.cn/zjWzRrs) showing the newsroom in chaos? No? You're so old-fashioned. It's the trendiest clip combining "Gangnam style" and hang mu style.

Mo mania

On October 11, Mo Yan became the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Mo mania swept the nation; his books flew off the shelf and people debated his merits.

Pro: Mo is a national hero who will silence those who say there's no excellent Chinese literature and that economic development has eclipsed its cultural and intellectual progress.

Con: Mo's work may be good, but it's not that good. Some say he won because China has become an economic and political power. Others say it's a personal victory that should be so conflated with national pride.

Stock market plunge

It was a bad year for stocks, and for the first time in four years the Shanghai Composite Index fell below the psychologically important 2,000 level.

The plunge came on November 27, when the index dropped to 1991.17, after a worrying, three-year long-slide. That was a 68-percent decline from the market's peak of 6,124 in October 2007. It later rose, fluctuated and now is around 2,200.

Many people feel cheated, many big state-owned companies perform badly and people are questioning why they are losing so much money at a time when China is developing so rapidly.

An online survey by Sina.com found that by December 2, 89 percent of 70,263 respondents said they lost money in the market this year; 20 percent said the value of their accounts have lost 80 percent of their value.

Ni xingfu ma?

(你幸福吗？)

In a CCTV report titled "What Is Happiness?" reporters randomly asked people on the street "Are you happy?" Many were stunned, some gushed, some refused to answer.

Netizens sympathized with pedestrians who were accosted and asked a huge philosophical question for a sound-bite. Now "Are you happy?" is an ironic way of saying "hello."

Example: A Shanghai Daily reporter visits an obscure rural village in suburban Tianjin to report on the Grand Canal of China. As soon as the reporter is introduced, a 70-year-old man pipes up and says, "I know what you're here to ask. You want to ask 'Are you happy?' Right? I watch TV. I know the trend."

Uncles of wristwatches

Biao shu(表叔)

Internet vigilantes exposed high-living officials who wear luxury wristwatches they cannot afford on their salary.

In September, Yang Dacai, an official from the northwestern province of Shaanxi, was seen grinning at the site of an accident that cost 36 lives - and sharp-eyed netizens noted the fancy watch on his wrist.

Research turned up more photos of Yang - and other officials - wearing multiple luxury brands. He got sacked on corruption charges. These crooks have been dubbed biao shu, uncles of wristwatches.

Example: Do you have a biao shu who wears a million-dollar Patek Philippe diamond watch?

Tall, rich and handsome vs diaos

Gao fu shuai vs diao si(高富帅vs屌丝)

Protagonists are typically tall, rich and handsome in popular South Korean TV dramas. Netizens seized on the description and went further.

The female version is bai fu mei (白富美), meaning white, rich and beautiful. The opposite of tall, rich and handsome is ai qiong cuo (矮穷挫), meaning short, poor and ugly, and another version of this is diaos, meaning poor, ugly, short, fat, stupid and tacky. These have become ironic self-descriptions, for both men and women.

Example: My girlfriend just dumped me for a gao fu shuai because I'm a diaos. I swear I will become gao fu shuai one day. Maybe I will marry a bai fu mei.

A bite of She jian shang de(舌尖上的)

A popular CCTV documentary series about Chinese food was titled "A Bite of China" ("She Jian Shang De Zhongguo,舌尖上的中国). Internet users now apply it, sometimes sarcastically, to food from their hometowns, university canteens, company canteens and even online shops, from "a bite of Chengdu" to a "bite of Taobao."

Example: I just saw the menu of the Shanghai Daily canteen. The place looks awesome. Let's pay a visit and get she jian shang de Shanghai Daily.

Space goddess

Shen nu(神女)

In June, Liu Yang became the first Chinese woman taikonaut, taking off in the Shouzhou (Magic Boat) 9 and staying for 10 days in the space station Tiangong-1 (Heavenly Palace).

Internet users called her a "space goddess," some for real and others in mockery.

Pro: Liu is a national heroine, taking a big step for Chinese women.

Con: Don't exaggerate and call her a goddess. Chinese women still have a long way to go.

Xinjiang cake

Qie gao(切糕)

This month police in Yueyang City of Hunan Province reported a brawl involving outraged buyers and 16 peddlers of qie gao, an overpriced glutinous rice cakewith walnuts and peanuts. It's usually sold from the back of tricycle carts around China. Police said 2.76 tons of qie gao were destroyed, two people injured and 16 motor scooters destroyed. Losses were estimated at 152,000 yuan (US$24,400), including 96,600 yuan for the qie gao.

Netizens mocked the whole story, especially the value of qie gao, which is often sold by vendors from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Vendors routinely inflate the price and frequently pressure people to buy. Now the word qie gao is a sarcastic synonym for luxury.

Example: You are still buying a Mercedes for your wife for your anniversary? How old-fashioned! I just bought a whole ton of qie gao! That's real luxury."

Playing to lose

During the London Olympics, Chinese women badminton players Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli, with six other players from South Korea and Indonesia, were disqualified after playing to lose for a favorable quarterfinal draw.

This created a major controversy and the World Badminton Federation changed rules to ban the common tournament strategy.

Pro: Players who throw games should be thrown out, playing to lose violates the spirit of the Olympics.

Coaches, sports federations and an obsession with gold medals should be blamed.

Con: It's unfair to blame the athletes, their coaches ordered them to do it and everybody does it.

Take it all off - nude models

Nudity is a touchy subject in China and virtually nude models at auto and other shows created an uproar, though young men avidly snap pictures that spread on the Internet.

Self-promoting model Gan Lulu became a notorious household word for posing in the near-nude, showing up at exhibitions wearing next to nothing.

One silver one-piece covered only half her body. Others wore costumes so skimpy that a buzzword was coined, meaning mini skirt up to the (unmentionable). A debate over nudity swirled on the Internet.

Pro: It's a matter of personal freedom. Who cares? It's no big deal and we shouldn't be prudish. But only a few people online actually said it was okay.

Con: These models are vulgar and shameless. They set a bad example and degrade women. Such costumes should be banned.

Food, glorious food?

Despite efforts by regulators, food safety scandals kept erupting in 2012, increasing consumers' fears. Among the latest horrors, poultry farms in east China were found to use feed containing excessive antibiotics.

There's no debate on this. Greedy businessmen, lax supervision and a flawed regulatory system are blamed.