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.

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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
29 / 90
Gil stands with open arms between two rows of trees, shadows across his face and white shirt, with a paved path receding behind him
Gil stands with open arms between two rows of trees, shadows across his face and white shirt, with a paved path receding behind him
17 · 09 · 2026 · Parque das Nações · South Gate · Sam Wang
LIFE NOTE

The Mascot III

At the south gate of Parque das Nações, Gil stands between two rows of trees, arms open, in the same pose as at the north gate.

Sunlight passes through the leaves, casting shadows on his face and white shirt; behind him, the path stretches into the shade.

I saw him at the north gate; here he is at the south gate, still with the same smile.

“One stands among the lines of buildings, the other in the shade of trees;”

I CHING READINGOpen another reading
I CHING READING · Author’s interpretation
Hexagram 32

Heng · Duration

Classic text · interpretive translation
Thunder and wind: Duration. The noble person stands firm without changing direction.

Heng allows the same posture to be seen in different settings. Building lines and tree shade give the same Gil different qualities; continuity can accommodate changing surroundings.

A sculpture is recognised by its fixed form. Human constancy needs responses to new circumstances: what deserves to be kept, and what can adapt?

Reading in briefKeep an orientation; let the approach develop.
MUSIC VIDEO CHOSEN FOR THIS STORY

Friends · 朋友

Wakin Chau · 1080p HD

Meeting the same smile at the south gate after seeing it at the north feels like recognising an old friend on another street. Wakin Chau’s “朋友” accompanies the familiarity of meeting again after years have passed.

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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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 →