He found the American Dream on China’s TikTok. The reality was more complicated

Videos on Douyin give people step-by-step instructions on how to get to the US - and then leave them stranded upon arrival

This article is copublished with Documented, a multilingual news site about immigrants in New York, and the Markup, a non-profit, investigative newsroom that challenges technology to serve the public good.

Xiong couldn't pinpoint exactly what finally prompted him to leave his home town in China, the only place he had lived for 32 years, and embark on the arduous journey on foot through Central and South America to reach the United States in 2023. However, he clearly remembered the catalyst that first ignited the idea.