Let it be, without forcing it;
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.

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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
81 / 90
Food stalls and outdoor tables at a francesinha festival
Food stalls and outdoor tables at a francesinha festival
12 · 08 · 2026 · Jardim do Arco do Cego · Lisbon · Sam Wang
LIFE NOTE

Food

The Festival das Francesinhas is taking place in Jardim do Arco do Cego. The francesinha is a traditional speciality from Porto.

The sign on the container reads, “Fazemos as Melhores Francesinhas há 30 anos” — “We’ve been making the best francesinhas for 30 years.”

Long wooden tables and benches are set out on the lawn for people to enjoy their food outdoors.

“The temptation of good food is always impossible to resist.”

I CHING READINGOpen another reading
I CHING READING · Author’s interpretation
Hexagram 27

Yi · Nourishment

Classic text · interpretive translation
Thunder beneath the mountain: Nourishment. The noble one is careful in speech and moderate in food and drink. — Zhou Yi · Yi, Image

Yi joins food with nourishment and measure. Food gathers people and the tables make dining shared; satisfaction involves flavour and a fitting amount for each person.

The sign announces thirty years in business, while the present plate still invites tasting. Tradition, appetite and judgement can sit at the same table.

Reading in briefThe pleasure of eating includes measure.
MUSIC VIDEO CHOSEN FOR THIS STORY

Sweet, Sour, Bitter and Spicy · 甜酸苦辣

Roman Tam · 720p HD

After years in restaurants, a sign saying thirty years makes me pause. This Hong Kong television song connects the meal with years of flavours, kitchen work and business;

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?

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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.