SHANGHAI, June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Childhood memories are precious since, in a way, they reflect the phase in your life when everything was simpler, you had a stronger sense of curiosity, and you were more willing to try something new. For young people born in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, what are the profound childhood imprints, and what dreams have they nurtured in their young minds? Now that they are adults, how do they feel when they look back on their childhood? Recently, Just So Soul Research Institute, which was established by Soul App, and the movie Sweet Potato Flavored Ice Cream jointly released the report Time Machine Research: Back to Childhood. Zhang Lu, the founder of Soul App, as well as the producer of the movie, believes that it is the healing and beautiful moment that brings the movie and Soul App together.

A total of more than 2,000 samples were collected in this survey, of which 60% were male and 40% were female. Demographic questions were designed to understand the different sizes of age groups: the post-00s accounted for 24%, the post-90s accounted for 50%, and the rest were post-80s. This survey reminds people of many warm moments of childhood and shows cross-generational differences as well. Childhood dreams changed with time: 20% of the post-80s dreamed of being a police officer in their childhood, and at least 1 out of 10 post-90s wanted to be an entrepreneur.

Childhood Imprints

For many people, the deep imprint of childhood comes from the idols they have chased, the songs they have listened to, the series they have watched...

The survey shows that the idols of the post-80s are the Four Heavenly Kings, Leslie Cheung, etc.; for the post-90s, Jay Chou, Stefanie Sun, and Wang Xinling are often credited with reviving the Mandarin music scene; the post-00s grew up with the TF Boys.

Interestingly, among the post-80s, post-90s, and post-00s, there is also a common memory, that is, the TV series The Journey to the West, which is replayed every summer vacation. According to research results, nearly half of the participants (44%) chose The Journey to the West among other series as the one that best represents their childhood. This mythology story still attracts generations year after year.

In addition to The Journey to the West, popular dramas such as My Fair Princess and Home with Kids have also stayed in everyone's mind. Among them, nearly 10% of the post-00s also have Empresses in the Palace in their childhood memories. Empresses in the Palace has been on the air for 11 years and is still on the hot search.

Childhood Dreams

People had all kinds of dreams and expectations in their childhood. As is revealed by the research, artists, police officers, and scientists are the most popular dream careers. When we take a close look at the research, 20% of the post-80s would like to be police officers and firefighters. In the childhood of the post-80s generation, being a cop was regarded as a great honor.

Some interesting research findings show that being a boss is a childhood dream for the post-90s generation and one in ten post-90s dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. What's more, 13% of the post-00s believe that teacher is the best job compared to others, and a stable career is what they expect the most.

Considering dream jobs, the male and the female hold very different views. According to the statistics, 1 out of 10 boys dreams of being a police officer and taking the lead in eliminating violence, while 26% of girls dream of becoming an artist.

All dreams require hard work for their fulfillment. The survey shows that less than 10% of people have achieved their childhood dreams, while more than 60% of the post-80s and post-90s have given up their childhood dreams. However, 52% of post-00s still insist on working hard for their childhood dreams.

Childhood Impression

Research reveals that a child's family has a great influence on his/her childhood even in adult life. In terms of gender, girls are more likely to receive negative effects compared to boys; and in terms of age, post-00s are more sensitive to negative effects than post-80s and 90s.

When it comes to the source of negative impact, the post-80s generation believes that parents being averse to change and holding traditional values can be the reason, while the post-00s generation has the deepest feelings about their parents' incompatibility in marriage and lack of encouragement to themselves.

The marital relationship of parents has become a major factor in the life choices. Survey finding shows that 14% of people are afraid of marriage because their parents are divorced or their marriage is incompatible; 15% of people are full of expectations for a happy marriage because their parents get along harmoniously.

For many people, childhood is the most unforgettable period of time in their lives. The above survey presents many healing and beautiful moments in the childhood experiences of different age groups such as the post-80s, post-90s, and post-00s. The film, Sweet Potato Flavored Ice Cream, which jointly released this research, also enshrines a lot of healing and beautiful stories.

The film is directed by Wang Chong and starring Wang Xiaokun and Zhang Yihan, telling  a warm story about growth, friendship, and nature. Biubiu, a little boy from Taiwan, was sent to his grandmother's house in China due to family changes. When he first arrived in the beautiful countryside, he met a group of lovely friends. They embarked on a journey to find the guardian god together, explored the secrets of the woods together, and forged a deep friendship in the battle to protect the nature. During this experience, Biubiu was recognized by his friends and created beautiful childhood memories.

Sweet Potato Flavored Ice Cream and Soul App have something in common in pureness and healing, "The woods in the movie enshrine children's beautiful memories, just like how Gen Zer's memories of friendship are cultivated in SOUL." Wang Chong said. He also talked about the time he found Soul Zhang Lu to introduce the project. He stated that after reading the script, Zhang Lu was moved by many details in the film, "Those seemingly ordinary stories, however, evoke the warmness of childhood memories."

Does this research remind you of the beautiful memories of your childhood? Stay tuned and see what else this movie will bring to you.

SOURCE SOUL APP