Are we in control of our lives, or are we just being pushed along?In this episode of Dashu Mandarin, three Chinese teachers in their 40s sit down for a painfully honest conversation about fate, free will, and the choices that shaped them.🔸 One of us got “forced” into chasing a girl in high school — and later realized he didn’t even like her.🔸 Another grew up in China’s intense exam system, became a “learning machine,” and now lives in Spain… but still can’t relax.🔸 And the third? He decided to stop blaming the system and started learning piano and guzheng in his 40s.We talk about:Chinese education and the “gaokao” mentalityWhy it’s so hard to start new hobbies as adultsThe guilt of relaxing when you grew up in a hardworking culture