Smith said that the location of the Chinese site reminded her of the low-lying parts of Jackson Hole, although the surrounding mountains are less impressive and there are few wild animals to be found. “Martha’s Vineyard, for example, wouldn’t have been a good fit,” she said. Smith visited Jackson Hole as a child and has lived in Wyoming, Montana, and Utah, so she drew on those memories to craft a tribute to the American West.

Reproducing the feel of the high-end American West was a process of trial and error. Smith sent material samples and furniture prototypes to China that were then reproduced. "They really liked some of the more kitschy things," Smith said. These included bear skins, old whiskey bottles, snowshoes, wooden chests, and elk antlers (popular decorative elements in the original Jackson Hole that often perturb tourists who don't realize that the antlers fall off, and no animals are killed for them). Smith filled shipping crates with antiques and knickknacks that were placed in each house "so it didn’t have such a new construction feel." The resulting homes boast hardwood floors that are pre-engineered to look timeworn with exposed beams and iron light fixtures.

According to Smith, one of the biggest challenges wasn’t interior decoration, but rather working with Chinese architects and contractors who were unfamiliar with American home design. "They’re used to building skyscrapers and using nothing but mortar and steel construction," said Smith.

Though it began with little direction, Jackson Hole, China, has become a wild success. After several expansions, the community now includes nearly 900 single family homes. Smith said that the first model homes sold for $180,000 to $330,000, and that they have now tripled in value. By comparison, the average worker in China makes just over $4,000 per year, according to the World Bank. Teton County, Wyoming, on the other hand, is the wealthiest in the U.S., with an average annual income of nearly $300,000. According to Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates the average single family home in Teton County sells for $1.1 million, while the average “luxury” home goes for over $5 million.

Jackson Hole, China, has been touted by CNN and Foreign Policy as an example of Chinese fascination with the West, and the desire of many Chinese people for more individual freedoms. We Americans love to hear about how obsessed foreigners are with our culture. They love it so much they built an imitation, we think. But the truth is that Americans who visit the original Jackson Hole are buying into the same fantasies almost as eagerly as the well-off Chinese who buy homes in Jackson Hole, China.

When I tell people that I am from Wyoming, I sometimes get bewildered stares. I have heard the phrase, "Wow, you're the first person I've ever met from Wyoming!" more times than I can count. Some think of it it as a lavish getaway spot full of expensive homes. Most seem to think that I have stepped out of a movie. They ask me if I grew up riding a horse to school (which I tell them is absurd, although I do have to admit that I know a girl who rode her horse to school. Once). They express shock at seeing me in a city as big as New York, as if a wholesome small town girl must certainly implode when exposed to such massive crowds teeming with vice. Mostly, they gush about how nice it must be to grow up in a quaint, tiny town where everybody knows your name and says hello.