Robert Johanson, or Zhou Ruohan, is an educator from Austin, capital of the US state of Texas.

He chose the surname Zhou, shared by many Chinese celebrities including Zhou Enlai, the first premier of China. Ruohan means "like a Chinese".

He first visited Wuxi in 2007 and has lived here with his wife since 2011, when he launched the Greenhill International Education School. Before settling in Wuxi, Zhou had taught in a university in Taiwan.

Zhou learned Chinese from German students as an undergraduate at Northwestern University in 1987. Several years later, he studied at the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University.

Zhou devotes himself to education and culture promotion. His funny and active teaching style appeals students, and he records his lessons on video and shares three episodes every week for free. The program has already uploaded 301 episodes.

Meanwhile, he arranged for students from the University of Texas to visit Wuxi during the summer holiday in 2013, aiming to promote mutual understanding and cultural exchange between both countries' youths.

As an environmentalist, Zhou likes cycling during his spare time. He said that Wuxi's smooth traffic and sound road system make for good cycling. He especially enjoys cycling around the Grand Canal, where he lives.

He said that where there is a canal, there is development; where there is development, there is hope.

A bird's-eye view of the Grand Canal at sunset from Zhou’s home. [Photo by Robert Johanson]

Compared with big cities, Zhou said that Wuxi gives him a sense of belonging. Wuxi people are simple and Wuxi is livable – therefore, he said, he prefers Wuxi to metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai, with their traffic jams, poor air quality and noisy environment.

Of course, Wuxi has convenient transportation, with direct high-speed rails and flights to Beijing, Shanghai and other cities.

Communication is not a problem for Zhou; he can chat with local people in Chinese fluently, sometimes even in Wuxi dialect. His Chinese friends often accompany him to scenic spots and introduce him local culture.

So he requires his foreign staff to learn Chinese, which he said makes it easy to communicate and live in Wuxi.

He intends to remain in Wuxi because of the city's healthy environment and friendly people.