A new school of thought

Mao Lei arrived at Xiamen University Malaysia to teach Chinese history in February last year. When asked about her initial impressions of the new school, "deserted" was the first word that came to mind.

"At the beginning, even the cab driver didn't know where the campus was or how to get there. It was not indicated on my Google map, and there were very few people on the campus," said the associate professor of Chinese history, who was one of the first batch of teachers dispatched by Xiamen University in China to work on the new campus.

"Now, more local people know about the new institution, and with about 2,000 students on campus, the academic atmosphere is getting better and better," she said.