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
84 / 90
The open-air amphitheatre in the Gulbenkian Garden
The open-air amphitheatre in the Gulbenkian Garden
11 · 08 · 2026 · Gulbenkian Garden · Lisbon · Sam Wang
LIFE NOTE

The Stage

In the Gulbenkian Garden, an open-air amphitheatre fits neatly into the natural landscape. Semicircular tiers of seating embrace the stage, whose canopy is a wave-shaped tensile membrane.

The screen at the back reads “JDV 26” — Jardim de Verão 2026. The Summer Garden cultural festival takes place here every summer.

“In this restless society, the emotional support we give one another will become increasingly scarce.”

I CHING READINGOpen another reading
I CHING READING · Author’s interpretation
Hexagram 31

Xian · Influence

Classic text · interpretive translation
Xian means influence. — Zhou Yi · Xian, Commentary on the Judgment

Xian places resonance in the meeting. Stage and seats provide positions for sending and receiving; connection still requires performance, attention and response.

Scarce emotional value is the author’s perception. Resonance also needs the receiver’s availability: having a seat and having attention to listen are distinct conditions.

Reading in briefThe stage prepares places; resonance needs presence.
MUSIC VIDEO CHOSEN FOR THIS STORY

Let the Applause Begin · 掌声响起来

Fong Fei-fei · 1080p HD

An empty stage makes me wonder whether an expression will be heard. Writing and building a product can raise that question too. This song voices the hope of someone still willing to step onto the stage;

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 →