Totonno: '...xiangqi must be learned without "western" signs...'

If one reads a book with chinese-symbol-diagrams only, this is of course right!

But also seriously: the chinese symbols may be a bit of an obstacle. Maybe learners get familiar with them soon, but they must have some determination to start learning, not letting them be hindered by the initial difficulty.
One might say that this is kind of a sieve to sort out those not really interested. But OTOH the interest may come with the exercise.