I came to America from China in 2021 to live and study. Everything here was new to me, different from anything I had seen in the first twenty years of my life. I have watched many American movies like western and science fiction since childhood, and everything in the film makes me yearn for this place. Many of the compositions in the film had a subtle influence on my aesthetic.  When I came to the United States, it was like I had been here thousand times. I got on the train from San Francisco to New York. With my memories and photos, I pieced together America in my eyes. 

During this journey, I gradually discovered that America differed from the movie. Consciously or unconsciously, my brain always connects the scene in front of me with what I have seen in American movies, books, and games. It keeps reminding me that I am a stranger and do not fit into American culture. All I knew was an imaginary America.

So I choose to show what I associate with and feel through photos. I cut, collaged, and retouched some pictures; some images are screenshots of the game, and some were taken in China. I used it to show what I saw of America under the influence of these cultural exports and how I adapted to this new country and felt a sense of belonging. It's a process of finding self-identity in a completely different culture. During this trip and in the process of making these images, I came to accept this feeling of being an outsider and began to enjoy the joy of having this unique perspective. This perspective made an exceptional America in my eyes.