01 · 28 · 08 · 2026 · South of the Expo districtPINNED
Performer
The platform outlined in red looks so fragile—like a footnote to walking on thin ice in life.
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ENGLISH EDITION
Let it be,without forcing it;
Memoirs of a Chinese restaurateur in Portugal, read through life’s changes and the I Ching.
HALF A LIFETIME OF NOTES
Let it be,without forcing it;
If you can make ‘creation’ as natural as breathing, it is not because intention is absent; it is because all intention has already dissolved into the breath.Sam Wang
Two parts, twelve moments.
A life told through choices, losses and changes rather than a résumé.
Necessity brings change.
From arriving in Lisbon to the Madrid expansion, family, and the pandemic.
Change opens the way.
A new digital beginning with XIAOXIONG®.
The city passes.
Memory remains.
Photographs and short texts about Lisbon, restaurants, architecture, and the moments that do not fit inside the chapters.
90 translated notes · English edition
02 · 06 · 10 · 2026 · Parque das Nações · Oceanarium
Oceanarium II
“The oceanarium sheds the bustle of the day and returns to quiet;”
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03 · 06 · 10 · 2026 · Parque das Nações · Beside the oceanarium
Little Stream
“In the lower-left corner, the shadow holds up a phone;”
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04 · 06 · 10 · 2026 · Parque das Nações · Lisbon Oceanarium
Oceanarium
“In the distance, two cable cars glide towards the end of the line;”
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05 · 05 · 10 · 2026 · Parque das Nações · Vasco da Gama Shopping Centre
Nightfall
“Beneath the streetlights, a family passes, seen from behind;”
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06 · 05 · 10 · 2026 · Parque das Nações · Tagus riverside
Low Tide II
“The sky, so blue;”
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11 · 08 · 2026 · Casino Lisboa · Parque das Nações · Sam Wang
LIFE NOTE
Casino
The “human nature of the gambler” is a question spanning psychology, economics and traditional philosophy. Gamblers often show an intensified fixation on uncertainty.
“The illusion of control”: gamblers often believe they can “read” the logic behind random events, searching for a false certainty in the chaos.
“The dopamine reward”: a strong release of dopamine keeps feeding the brain’s desire to believe that “next time, I’ll turn it around”.
“A variation on loss aversion”: psychology’s familiar concept of “loss aversion” appears in gamblers as an extreme unwillingness to accept defeat.
Casino Lisboa, a kind of “pain” in the hearts of the Chinese community.
Parque das Nações, Lisbon’s central business district.
I CHING READINGOpen another reading
Hexagram 29
Classic text · interpretive translationKan · Repeated Danger
Coming and going amid danger, peril offers no secure rest. Entering the pit: do not act. — Zhou Yi · Kan, line 3
Kan’s “do not act” places a boundary amid repeated danger. Repeated betting can confuse familiarity with control and turn frustration into a reason to continue.
Individual experiences differ. A useful question is whether the next action brings real information or repeats the same hope; distinguishing that opens room to interrupt repetition.
Reading in briefFamiliarity with risk does not confer control over outcomes.A Game, a Dream · 一场游戏一场梦
Dave Wang · 2160p HDOne vote per browser per version; change or withdraw it anytime. Votes are for the author’s reference.
Over these years in Portugal, I have seen people pin hope on the next bet. The song meets that refusal to accept loss: watching another’s game also sharpens my own judgement;
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Author 04
RESTAURANTS · ARCHITECTURE · HISTORY · I CHING
Half a lifetime
of notes
Hello, I’m Wang Sanxiong — Sam 🤝
The book’s epigraph is my motto, and the starting point for how I understand life, restaurants, and entrepreneurship.
I am a Chinese immigrant living in Portugal, originally from Qingtian, Zhejiang, and a restaurant owner. I love architecture and the history behind it; I love the I Ching, and use Eastern wisdom to interpret the stories hidden behind history.
A battle for small and medium-sized restaurants to reclaim their own customer channels;
The second half of life should be more exciting than the first — that is only reasonable;
【XIAOXIONG®】
XIAOXIONG®; it is not an advertisement in this book. It is proof that, in the second half of life, I am still willing to change.
FOUNDER OF XIAOXIONGWang Sanxiong · Sam Wang