Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th year since Shandong province first began promoting sister-city relations around the world. A number of foreigners living in the province were invited to tell stories related to Shandong.

Laxmisha Rai lectures students at Shandong University of Science and Technology. [Photo/iqilu.com]

Laxmisha Rai, an Indian professor, has been working at Shandong University of Science and Technology for more than nine years.

His students and colleagues often refer to him by his Chinese name “Liu Shan”, which means “staying in Shandong”.

“I gave myself the name because I like Chinese culture and I love Shandong,” said Laxmisha, who had a hard time adjusting to life in a foreign land when he first arrived at the university in 2010.

Now, he is one of the most popular foreign teachers at the university.

“There is nothing more important than teaching students here,” he said. 

Laxmisha currently gives lectures on a wide range of topics, including database technology, VisualC++, and Windows programming techniques.

Over the past nine years, he has consistently worked to improve his teaching skills, compiled textbooks, and engaged in scientific research. He has also contributed to the university’s efforts to reform and improve its teaching methods and has insisted on the development of a massive open online course (MOOC).

He has earned a variety of awards for his teaching and scientific research, and was also named honorary citizen of Shandong province in 2019.