Cultural differences can affect international students' adaptation, increasing the risk of anxiety, stress and depression. Research points out that the serious problem of depression among a group of Chinese international students studying overseas is rising and should be of concern.

Depression often contributes to depersonalisation, which means a loss of one's sense of self. My previous studies emphasise that rebuilding a sense of self is important. Sense of self is how individuals view their values and characteristics. However, when individuals lose their sense of self, they feel disconnected between who they believe themselves to be and how they feel at work, which leads to doubting their values, self-knowledge, and abilities. Eventually, they experience a sense of not belonging at work, making it challenging to be themselves and resulting in feeling isolated in their workplace.

It is essential to help depressive patients find their belonging because belonging is a fundamental segment of human needs that drives human behaviour and activity.

This project uses Virtual Reality technology to solve depression in Chinese international students living abroad. My VR scene combines live videos, images, and 3D models to evoke hometown memories, re-establishing their sense of belonging and self. In particular, my VR scene focuses on the street food stalls to help alleviate their depression because one of the cultural differences between Eastern and Western cultures lies in their social norms. Research indicates that people from the West build friendships through quick conversations. In contrast, Chinese people establish social connections by eating and drinking together. Particularly, friends and colleagues in China often have meals together at street food stalls, engaging in conversations while enjoying their food. Therefore, this scene will likely strengthen connections to their hometowns and thus relieve their depression.