Let it be, without forcing it;
English
01
ENGLISH EDITION

Let it be,without forcing it;

Memoirs of a Chinese restaurateur in Portugal, read through life’s changes and the I Ching.

View contents↓
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
02 · SERIAL READING

Two parts, twelve moments.

A life told through choices, losses and changes rather than a résumé.

CHAPTER I

Necessity brings change.

From arriving in Lisbon to the Madrid expansion, family, and the pandemic.

CHAPTER II

Change opens the way.

A new digital beginning with XIAOXIONG®.

03 · LIFE NOTES

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
50 / 90
On the wooden pier beneath the Vasco da Gama Bridge, two fishermen watch over their rods facing the Tagus
On the wooden pier beneath the Vasco da Gama Bridge, two fishermen watch over their rods facing the Tagus
03 · 09 · 2026 · Parque das Nações · Vasco da Gama Bridge · Sam Wang
LIFE NOTE

Fishermen II

The Vasco da Gama Bridge crosses the Tagus and opened in time for Lisbon’s Expo ’98.

On the wooden pier beneath the bridge, two fishermen are watching over their rods.

There are two kinds of people in the world; one is the “performer”, the other the “spectator”. If you can appreciate yourself while performing, then you no longer need an audience.

The other fisherman — a fellow Chinese from Jinhua — is not here today. I wonder whether he caught any corvina, or meagre;

I CHING READINGOpen another reading
I CHING READING · Author’s interpretation
Hexagram 20

Guan · Contemplation

Classic text · interpretive translation
Observe one’s own life: advance or withdraw. — Zhou Yi · Guan, line 3

Guan allows participation and reflection. Appreciating one’s own process reduces dependence on applause; that appreciation is also a judgement and can overlook unwelcome things.

Fisher and observer can exchange places. Needing no audience brings freedom; continuing to hear other perspectives preserves room to revise one’s view.

Reading in briefAppreciate yourself, and remain open to other eyes.
MUSIC VIDEO CHOSEN FOR THIS STORY

From the Heart of a Troubadour · 浪子心声

Sam Hui · 1080p HD

With a fishing rod in hand, a person can enjoy his own company. Sam Hui's Cantonese original carries the freedom of a generation in no hurry to explain itself;

Quality adapts to your connection. You can select HD in the player settings.Player not working? Open the original video ↗
READER ECHOES

What stays with you here?

Waiting for your voice
0/100 · Your comment will be visible publicly

No sign-in is needed to leave a thought; the response above is optional.

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
Read this ongoing practice →Chinese original →