In 1968, student unrest broke out in France, and the art world was not unaffected. When the Miami Museum of Modern Art invited Liao to put on a show of his oils and prints, he decided to move to the U.S. Liao considers that the New York environment, to which he was next exposed, transformed his style.
民國五十七年，法國鬧學生運動，藝壇相當混亂，美國邁阿密現代美術館在此時邀請他舉行油畫和版畫個展，於是他決定趁此機會移往美國發展。