Pitt (still) hiring Assistant Instructor in Korean Studies.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures is still hiring an Assistant Instructor in Korean Studies.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures seeks an Assistant Instructor in Korean Studies to teach/instruct graduate and undergraduate courses. Will also be responsible for: (i) preparing for and teaching all levels of Korean classes as required, (ii) training and observing less experienced instructors, (iii) coordinating teaching and work with the Korean coordinator and other instructors, (iv) evaluating student performances and assign grades, (v) meeting with students as needed to advise study progress, (vi) assessing program performance, (vii) holding office hours, (viii) participating in department service and professional development.

Must have a master’s degree (or foreign equivalent degree) in Korean Languages or a related field plus one (1) year of experience teaching Korean at the college level in a North American institution of higher learning.

Must also have any experience with or knowledge of: (i) Korean and foreign language pedagogy in American higher education setting; (ii) linguistic knowledge of the Korean language; (iii) pedagogical technology; (iv) excellence in teaching as measured through student evaluations; (v) research in the field of Korean as a foreign language; (vi) teaching courses related to the Korean language (e.g., hanja); and (vii) coordination and administrative.

Must also be fluent in Korean (speaking, reading, and writing).

Experience can be concurrent.

2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0) to remain in Pittsburgh through (at least) April 7.

The 2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 17, will remain here through at least April 7. From the distributor:

When they were children, Rika Orimoto was killed in a traffic accident right before the eyes of her close friend, Yuta Okkotsu. "It's a promise. When we both grow up, we'll get married." Rika became an apparition, and Yuta longed for his own death after suffering under her curse, but the greatest Jujutsu sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, welcomed him into Jujutsu High. There Yuta meets his classmates, Maki Zen'in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, and finally finds his own determination. "I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive! While I'm at Jujutsu High, I'll break Rika-chan's curse." Meanwhile, the vile curse user, Suguru Geto, who was expelled from the school for massacring ordinary people, appears before Yuta and the others. "This coming December 24th, we shall carry out the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." While Geto advocates for creating a paradise for only jujutsu sorcerers, he unleashes a thousand curses upon Shinjuku and Kyoto to exterminate all non-sorcerers. Will Yuta be able to stop Geto in the end? And what will happen when breaking Rika's curse...?

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, Cranberry Cinema, Hollywood Theater, Waterworks Cinema, and Moraine Point Cinemas on various days, tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Food delivery service Hungry Panda hiring Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist for Pittsburgh area.

Hungry Panda is again hiring a Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist for the Pittsburgh area. As PennsylvAsia noted in Summer 2020, more Chinese delivery options, like Fantuan and Chowbus, are making their way to Pittsburgh.

Job Requirements:

• Must be fluent in Mandarin and English
• Educational requirements: Bachelor’s degree and above
• Experience in business negotiation, sales and marketing management is preferred
• Working experience in Internet companies is preferred
• Strong time management and project management skills
• High sensitivity on market trend, high sensitivity on data
• Strong commercial acumen and a desire to work with restaurants, not afraid to be refused, have top-notch people skills
• Excellent teamwork ability, cooperate with different teams to promote business cooperation, and be able to efficiently complete business negotiations independently
• Have a valid driver licence and a vehicle

"Kawasaki, A City of Japan's Multicultural Vanguard" with Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania, April 28.

via @savvytokyo

The Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania will host Dr. Yoshihiro Yasuhara of Carnegie Mellon University and his talk "Kawasaki, A City of Japan's Multicultural Vanguard."

It has been long since the notion of multiculturalism (tabunka shugi or tabunka kyosei) emerged in the social and political discourses during the 1990s while the “myth of Japan’s homogeneity” was widely challenged by various scholars, thinkers, and business leaders in Japan and abroad since the 1980s. However, there are still issues regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion in Japan, a country where the population is declining and yet the number of foreign residents continue to grow. How is it possible for Japan to reinvent itself in response to the fast-paced global trend of multiculturalism?

To facilitate a discussion of multiculturalism in Japan today, this talk will introduce the case of Kawasaki, a city that “became the first municipality to pass an ordinance that makes hate speech a punishable offense”* and its repercussions.

The talk runs from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall on the CMU campus (map). Registration is required.

Oakland Plan for (re)development includes proposal for Global District, "an inclusive district on Fifth and Forbes Avenues where there is a strong market for global food and grocery types."

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Pittsburgh's Oakland Plan for the neighborhood surrounding and abutting the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Carnegie Mellon, and Carlow University includes a proposal for a Global District that would seek to encourage multicultural businesses, restaurants, and grocers. The Global District would aim to

Support and grow an inclusive district on Fifth and Forbes Avenues where there is a strong market for global food and grocery types. Proactively match spaces with businesses that reinforce and grow the multi-cultural nature of this corridor's business community.

Some of what drives the plan, according to the website: 

What we heard

• Need to capture additional economic value for the neighborhood from the growth of the city’s Innovation Economy including the spend of the workers and businesses. A vibrant street level experience typically requires active first floors, although not all of it needs to be commercially oriented to be successful.
• Given changes in retail, leasing first floors may prove to be difficult.
• A program is needed that can tie together the neighborhood’s desire for local businesses, create a pipeline of potential leaseholders, and provide the financial support to make this practical for property owners.
• How the program is developed and managed will influence the outcomes and who it benefits. The planning process has repeatedly identified broad community desires to benefit MWDBE entrepreneurs, particularly from the neighborhood, and immigrants.
• For Fifth and Forbes Avenues, a multi-cultural district could build on the existing base of immigrant owned businesses, recent minority-focused business incubation, and significant customer base of diverse University faculty, staff, and students.
• Interviews with Asian and Asian-American business owners showed that there was much higher demand for space than existed. The result was that restaurants and grocery stores that would have preferred to be located in Oakland moved to Squirrel Hill and Shadyside.
• The Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation also has data that shows Oakland is highly desirable location for Hispanic entrepreneurs and businesses.
• This confirmed was brokers reported during interviews for the Existing Conditions Report, that many businesses want to move into Oakland but can’t find the right space.
• Issues identified included the small nature of spaces in Oakland, that many needed significant investments to make them usable, the lack of programs to support façade improvements, and the lack of coordination and strategy between businesses that has often resulted in multiple businesses in the same area providing similar offerings and competing with each other.
• Interviews suggest that the high up front costs around restaurant and food service businesses resulted in a lack of innovation.
• Conversations in the Steering Committee noted the lack of African, European, and Latin-American food options in Oakland.
• Organizing effort under a coherent program with branding and marketing, could help this district become a regional attraction.

 Public comment is sought and available on the website through May 1.

jason chu, Alan Z, MC Tingbudong in Pittsburgh on April 16 as part of "Chinatown Tour."

jason chu, Alan Z, and MC Tingbudon will perform in Pittsburgh on April 16 as part of their "Chinatown Tour." The performance will be part of the Pittsburgh's Historic Chinatown public celebration on the 16h. A profile of the artists, from their publicists:

Rapper/activist jason chu has been recognized by the Mellon Foundation, OCA Greater Los Angeles, the LA City Department of Cultural Affairs, BBC, NBC Asian America, and more as a leading voice in Asian American culture. He tours extensively nationwide, centering empathy and storytelling in his work.

Rapper/singer Alan Z is a mainstay in the Atlanta hip-hop scene with a national audience earned from performing coast-to-coast, while building a dedicated online following. He’s been seen going viral on Instagram and TikTok with rap verses about Asian American history and social issues. Credits on Wu Assassins (Netflix), iZombie (The CW), Sony Music Entertainment.

Rapper, multimedia artist, and revolutionary Jamel Mims aka MC Tingbudong is on the front lines of resistance against mass incarceration. In 2008, Mims received a Fulbright Scholarship to compile a multimedia ethnography on the hip hop subculture in Beijing. He works as a Mandarin teacher and leads workshops for Chinese teachers on using hip hop pedagogy in the classroom. His work has been featured in the New York Times and on CBS.

The concert starts at 3:00 pm at 520 Third Ave. (map).

Lauren Yee's Young Americans coming to Pittsburgh, April-May 2023.

Pittsburgh Public Theater will present Lauren Yee's play Young Americans the O'Reilly Theater from April 26 through May 13, 2023.

WORLD PREMIERE BY ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST EXCITING NEW VOICES Journey between two eras and two generations as celebrated playwright Lauren Yee sets the stage for us to road trip there and back in her hilarious, heartfelt new play. On parallel treks, Joe drives from D.C. to Portland trying to win the heart of his unfamiliar new fiancé Jenny and, twenty years later, drives the same roads back to have one last adventure with their adopted daughter Lucy before delivering her to college. With some unexpected detours along the way, immigrants Jenny and Joe traverse the strange territory of their new country while their daughter Lucy pieces together their bittersweet family history in this beautiful new comedy about the lengths we will go for the people we love. A world premiere co-production with Portland Center Stage.

Tickets are now available online. The O'Reilly Theater is located at 621 Penn Ave. in downtown's Cultural District (map).

1997 film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) in Pittsburgh, April 3, 4, and 6.

The 1997 film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) will play in Pittsburgh on April 3, 4, and 6 as part of the 2022 Studio Ghibli Fest from GKIDS. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there.

It plays locally at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, Monroeville, and Robinson. The April 3 and 6 shows are dubbed in English while the April 4 show is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Korea's "Doodle POP!" to perform at Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival in May.

"Doodle POP!" from South Korea's BRUSH Theater will perform at Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival on May 14 and 15.

The mischievous Doodle POP! duo invites you into the delightful doodling world!

Join as they experience an exciting adventure in an ocean world they imagine and create on stage. What will happen to them in this beautiful but strange watery world? Will they be able to return a turtle doodle to the sea safely?

With live sound effects, animation, and theatrical imagination, this is a touching and exciting show for anyone ages 3+. This show is mostly visual and is played with limited words. The theater will be darkened at times during the show.

Age Recommendations: Best for ages 3-7
This Show Features: Music, Acting, Movement, Audience Participation, Science, Projection, Animation, Puppetry, Communication Skills, Teamwork

The duo was scheduled to perform here in 2020 but the festival was cancelled.

2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0) to remain in Pittsburgh through (at least) March 31.

The 2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 17, will remain here through at least March 31. From the distributor:

When they were children, Rika Orimoto was killed in a traffic accident right before the eyes of her close friend, Yuta Okkotsu. "It's a promise. When we both grow up, we'll get married." Rika became an apparition, and Yuta longed for his own death after suffering under her curse, but the greatest Jujutsu sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, welcomed him into Jujutsu High. There Yuta meets his classmates, Maki Zen'in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, and finally finds his own determination. "I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive! While I'm at Jujutsu High, I'll break Rika-chan's curse." Meanwhile, the vile curse user, Suguru Geto, who was expelled from the school for massacring ordinary people, appears before Yuta and the others. "This coming December 24th, we shall carry out the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." While Geto advocates for creating a paradise for only jujutsu sorcerers, he unleashes a thousand curses upon Shinjuku and Kyoto to exterminate all non-sorcerers. Will Yuta be able to stop Geto in the end? And what will happen when breaking Rika's curse...?

It is currently playing at the Waterworks Cinema, Cranberry Cinema, AMC Loews Waterfront, and Cinemark theaters on Monroeville and Monaca, and from the 25th will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, Cranberry Cinema, Hollywood Theater, and Moraine Point Cinemas, tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) remains in Pittsburgh, March 24, 25, 28.

After its month-long run at the Harris Theater earlier this year and its return to Pittsburgh-area theaters earlier in March, the acclaimed 2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) will remain in Pittsburgh on March 24, 25, and 28. A brief synospis from a December 7 NPR review:

The story follows a middle-aged Tokyo stage actor named Kafuku, superbly played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. He's a calm, mild-mannered guy who's been married for two decades to a screenwriter named Oto. We get a sense of their mutual devotion when we see Kafuku driving around in his bright red Saab, rehearsing his lines by listening to audio tapes that Oto has painstakingly recorded for him.

But their relationship is more complicated than it appears. Years ago, Kafuku and Oto experienced an agonizing loss that has led her to find solace — and perhaps something more — in relationships with other men. Kafuku has deep compassion for his wife, which doesn't make her betrayal any less painful. And then another tragedy strikes when Oto dies suddenly.

It is scheduled to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and Cinemark theaters in Robinson on March 24, and the AMC Loews Waterfront on March 25 and 28. The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.

Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers, March 27 at Spirit Lounge.

The Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers will perform in Pittsburgh on March 27.

Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. What distinguishes this gifted trio from earlier generations of Tuvan throat singers is the subtle infusion of modern influences into their traditional music. One can find complex harmonies, western instruments, and contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, but its overall sound and spirit remain decidedly Tuvan.

Tickets for the show at Spirit in Lawrenceville (map) are now available online.

Pittsburgh's Historic Chinatown public celebration, April 16.

OCA Pittsburgh will host its public celebration of Pittsburgh's Historic Chinatown on April 16.

For mroe than 120 years the Chinese have called Pittsburgh ome. Come and help us celebrate the official Pennsylvania landmark designation of Pittsburgh Chinatown!

Attractions will include food, performances, music, and Chinese-American rapper Jason Chu. For more information about Pittsburgh's Chinatown, which was largely displaced by the construction of the Boulevard of the Allies, please see this 2019 Next Pittsburgh profile or this 1959 article on the "end of the road for Chinatown."

The city's Chinatown was granted a state historical marker in March 2021, with a dedication ceremony scheduled for (and cancelled) last September.

Films from China, The Philippines, Asian-America in Pittsburgh as part of CMU International Film Festival, from April 2.

The annual Carneige Mellon University International Film Festival runs from March 24 to April 9, and this year features three films from Asia: 

• Ripples of Life (永安镇故事集) on April 2 at 7:00 pm, McConomy Auditorium 
• Whether the Weather is Fine (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon), April 3 at 3:00 pm, McConomy Auditorium 
• Ascension (登楼叹), April 7 at 7:30 pm, Harris Theater 

Tickets are available online.

"Future Tense: Microcinema Screening" with several Chinese, Taiwanese filmmakers, March 24 at The Andy Warhol Museum.

The Andy Warhol Museum will host "Future Tense: Microcinema Screening," featuring several Chinese and Taiwanese filmmakers and currated by Barbara London and Ellen Larson, on March 24.

We are living in a time of crisis. Anxieties about the future and questions concerning the sustainability of the planet and its inhabitants have never felt more urgent. Future Tense asks how artists approach these and other global uncertainties in relationship to identity, home, and environment. Selected videos highlight both the fragility and resilience of human ingenuity in relationship to nature, space, and place. Collectively, the artists included in this program direct themselves towards the future. They look to the past to reclaim lost histories while simultaneously imagining new possible futures. Participating artists: Imani Dennison, Fang Tianyu, Thomas Allen Harris, Pedro Neves Marques, Joan Michel, Su Yu-Hsin, Wang Mowen, and Zheng Yuan.

The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm and tickets will be available online soon.

2021 Japanese animated film Pompo: The Cinéphile (映画大好きポンポさん) in Pittsburgh, April 27 and 28.

The 2021 Japanese animated film Pompo: The Cinéphile (映画大好きポンポさん) will play in Pittsburgh on April 27 and 28. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in “Nyallywood,” the movie-making capital of the world. Although she’s known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about a tormented artistic genius, starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock, and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?

Directed by veteran animator Takayuki Hirao and produced by brand-new animation studio CLAP, Pompo the Cinephile is a rollicking, exuberant ode to the power of the movies, and the joys and heartbreak of the creative process, as a new director and his team devote their lives to the pursuit of a “masterpiece.”

It is currently scheduled to play locally at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, Monroeville, and Robinson, though more theaters may be announced later.

2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) in Pittsburgh (again) from March 20.

After its month-long run at the Harris Theater earlier this year, the acclaimed 2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) will play in Pittsburgh again from March 20 as part of "Oscar Movie Week." A brief synospis from a December 7 NPR review:

The story follows a middle-aged Tokyo stage actor named Kafuku, superbly played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. He's a calm, mild-mannered guy who's been married for two decades to a screenwriter named Oto. We get a sense of their mutual devotion when we see Kafuku driving around in his bright red Saab, rehearsing his lines by listening to audio tapes that Oto has painstakingly recorded for him.

But their relationship is more complicated than it appears. Years ago, Kafuku and Oto experienced an agonizing loss that has led her to find solace — and perhaps something more — in relationships with other men. Kafuku has deep compassion for his wife, which doesn't make her betrayal any less painful. And then another tragedy strikes when Oto dies suddenly.

It is scheduled to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront on March 20, 22, and 24, and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless and Robinson on the 22nd and 24th. The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.

2022 Summer Kung Fu Culture Camp at Win-Win Kung Fu in Squirrel Hill, July and August.

Squirrel Hill's Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center will host a 2022 Summer Kung Fu Culture Program this July and August.

2022 Summer Intensive Program

 

Week 1. July 25 – 29

Week 2. August 1 - 5

Week 3. August 8 - 12

Week 4. August 15 - 19

 

 

Squirrel Hill Studio

2705-2707 Murray Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15217

 

Learn kung fu with champion masters!

Learn Chinese language, Chinese culture and more!

 

 

Register Now!

 

Register by May 31^st to get $30 off weekly tuition!

 

 

2022 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, March 18 to 31 at Row House Cinema.

The 2022 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival will run from March 18 through 31 at the Row House Cinema. This year's lineup includes:

• The Island of Cats (ねことじいちゃん) 
• Samurai Rebellion (上意討ち 拝領妻始末) 
• Stray Dog (野良犬)

• It's a Summer Film (サマーフィルムにのって)

• Matango (マタンゴ)

• Dragnet Girl (非常線の女)
• Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (漁港の肉子ちゃん)
• Tokyo Drifter (東京流れ者)
• Poupelle of Chimney Town (映画 えんとつ町のプペル)
• Pale Flower (乾いた花)
• Sonatine (ソナチネ)
• Hold Me Back (私をくいとめて)
• Cure (キュア)
• On-Gaku: Our Sound (音楽)

Plus, there's a collection of "Japan's Craziest TV Gameshows." Tickets and packages are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

"Action Conversations on Race: Anti-Asian Racism," March 16 with the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh.

The YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh will host a panel discussion on Anti-Asian Racism on March 16, part of its "Action Conversations on Race" series.

On this day last year in Atlanta, we faced a grim reminder that AAPI women are routinely targeted by violence. It is not enough that President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law as a response to rising anti-Asian violence. Join us in conversation as our panelists discuss taking effective and comprehensive action against anti-Asian racism.

The talk runs from 12:00 to 1:00 pm; those interested can register online or watch on Facebook Live.

"From Indonesia to Pittsburgh: New Music for the University Gamelan," April 8 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "From Indonesia to Pittsburgh: New Music for the University Gamelan" on April 8.

Sundanese composer, performer, and educator Ismet Ruchimat joins the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan for an evening of contemporary music and dance from Indonesia. Join us for a program featuring traditional music and world premieres of new compositions by Ruchimat with dance choreographed and performed by guest artist Maya Caturistayu.

The event starts at 8:00 pm at Bellefield Hall and will also be streamed on the department's Youtube page. The concert is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Those who are not Pitt faculty, staff, or students will receive guest access to the building if they register in advance.

2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) at Tull Family Theater in Sewickley, March 14, 16, 17.

In addition to its current run at the Harris Theater (through February 17) and its return to Pittsburgh from March 20, the acclaimed 2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) will play at the Tull Family Theater in Sewickley on March 14, 16, and 17. A brief synospis from a December 7 NPR review:

The story follows a middle-aged Tokyo stage actor named Kafuku, superbly played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. He's a calm, mild-mannered guy who's been married for two decades to a screenwriter named Oto. We get a sense of their mutual devotion when we see Kafuku driving around in his bright red Saab, rehearsing his lines by listening to audio tapes that Oto has painstakingly recorded for him.

But their relationship is more complicated than it appears. Years ago, Kafuku and Oto experienced an agonizing loss that has led her to find solace — and perhaps something more — in relationships with other men. Kafuku has deep compassion for his wife, which doesn't make her betrayal any less painful. And then another tragedy strikes when Oto dies suddenly.

Tickets are available online. The theater is located at 418 Walnut St. in Sewickley (map).

Taiwanese films Dragon Inn (龍門客棧), Goodbye, Dragon Inn (不散) in Pittsburgh, from March 18; double feature discounts (and Taiwanese snacks) available.

The Harris Theater will show the 2003 Taiwanese film Goodbye Dragon Inn (不散) from March 18 through 24, as well as the 1967 Taiwanese film Dragon Inn (龍門客棧) which features in its plot on March 19, 20, and 23. A summary of the former:

Like the Royal Theater in The Last Picture Show and the title movie house in Cinema Paradiso, the Fu-Ho Grand, a movie palace in Taipei, is closing its doors. Its valedictory screening: King Hu’s 1967 wuxia epic Dragon Inn, playing to a motley smattering of spectators, including two stars of Hu’s original opus, Miao Tien and Shih Chun, watching their younger selves with tears in their eyes. Developing the slyest, most delicate of character arcs involving a lovelorn usherette, a Japanese tourist cruising for companionship, and an oblivious projectionist played by Lee Kang-sheng, Tsai crafts a film both powerfully melancholy and deadpan funny. The sense that moviegoing as a communal experience is slipping away takes on a profound and painful resonance in Goodbye, Dragon Inn, a film too multifaceted to reduce to a simple valentine to the age of pre-streaming cinema.

And a synopsis of the latter:

A watershed in the history of Taiwanese popular cinema, the film-within-a-film in Tsai Ming-liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn, and the first movie that Hu, who is to the wuxia what John Ford is to the Western, made after fleeing his Shaw Bros. serfdom in Hong Kong to freedom in Taiwan. The emancipatory joy is palpable. The movie’s plot concerns the three marked-for-death children of a framed-up imperial minister as they’re pursued by a unit of ruthless assassins, the Black Arrow Troop, to the Dragon Gate Inn, a remote redoubt where both sides dig in and feel one another out in preparation for an inevitable showdown—but this conveys nothing of the elation of the filmmaking. Unlike many contemporary wuxia directors, including the good ones, Hu painstakingly pre-prepared and composed his films. Here, adapting the music of the traditional Beijing Opera to the rhythms of the fight film, he creates something that feels both ancient and new. This thrilling landmark of film history returns to the screen in a new, beautifully restored 4K digital transfer, created from the original negative.

There is a special promotion on for those who buy tickets to both movies as part of a double feature:

Special double-feature pricing is available when purchasing both the Dragon Inn and Goodbye, Dragon Inn on March 19, 20, and 23 – save $3 per ticket. All double-feature guests also receive complimentary light Taiwanese snacks between the films!

Tickets are available online. The Harris Theater is located in downtown's Cultural District (map).

Signage up for new Chengdu Gourmet location, coming soon to McKnight Road.

Signage is now up for the new Chengdu Gourmet location. Routinely named among the best Chinese restaurants in the city---and its head chef routeinly named among the best in the country---it announced a new location on McKnight Road last July. For more information, please see Hal B. Klein's article in Pittsburgh Magazine last summer.

There will be two significant distinctions [between the two restaurants]: Zhu plans to install tanks that will allow him to sell fresh-as-can-be fish and shellfish, and he’ll offer an expanded selection of Americanized-Chinese dishes (which were dialed-back in Squirrel Hill a few years ago) to better serve North Hills diners new to Sichuan cuisine.

The ample space will offer expanded seating, including two private dining rooms, a sushi counter and, as Zhu has acquired a liquor license for the new restaurant, a bar. “It’s going to be a much bigger restaurant. Everyone will be happy when they come here,” Zhu says.

It will be located at 4768 McKnight Road (map), in what was formerly Oriental Market (which moved up the street last year).

Seventeen Power of Love: The Movie with K-pop group Seventeen, in Pittsburgh April 20 and 23.

The upcoming film Seventeen Power of Love: The Movie will play in Pittsburgh on April 20 and 23.

SEVENTEEN, the global artist that is rewriting K-pop history, presents their first-ever movie! Five platinum albums in Korea, charting on the US Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks, and number one on the Japanese Oricon chart, the group is dominating the music charts across the globe. Don’t miss the powerful performances, in-depth interviews with the 13 members, and commentaries on their past, present, and future they will create with CARATs! SEVENTEEN’s love letter in movie form embodies all the love in the world for CARATs!

The official site also says:

A love letter in movie form from SEVENTEEN — including scenes from their live concerts, interviews released for the first time, and many behind-the-stage stories.

It is scheduled to play so far at the Cinemark theater in Robinson and tickets are available online, though more theaters may be announced later.

2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0) in Pittsburgh, from March 17.

The 2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0) will play in Pittsburgh from March 17. From the distributor:

When they were children, Rika Orimoto was killed in a traffic accident right before the eyes of her close friend, Yuta Okkotsu. "It's a promise. When we both grow up, we'll get married." Rika became an apparition, and Yuta longed for his own death after suffering under her curse, but the greatest Jujutsu sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, welcomed him into Jujutsu High. There Yuta meets his classmates, Maki Zen'in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, and finally finds his own determination. "I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive! While I'm at Jujutsu High, I'll break Rika-chan's curse." Meanwhile, the vile curse user, Suguru Geto, who was expelled from the school for massacring ordinary people, appears before Yuta and the others. "This coming December 24th, we shall carry out the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." While Geto advocates for creating a paradise for only jujutsu sorcerers, he unleashes a thousand curses upon Shinjuku and Kyoto to exterminate all non-sorcerers. Will Yuta be able to stop Geto in the end? And what will happen when breaking Rika's curse...?

It is currently scheduled to play at the Waterworks Cinema, Cranberry Cinema, AMC Loews Waterfront, and Cinemark theaters on Monroeville and Monaca, and tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

2021 Hong Kong documentary Revolution of Our Times (時代革命) at Row House Cinema, April 4.

The 2021 Hong Kong documentary Revolution of Our Times (時代革命) will play at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville on April 4.

Over the past fifty years, Hongkongers have fought for freedom and democracy but have yet to succeed. In 2019, the “Extradition Bill” to China opened a Pandora’s box, turning Hong Kong into a battlefield against the Chinese authoritarian rule. The award-winning director of “Ten Years: Self Immolator,” Kiwi Chow, made this documentary to tell the story of the movement, both with a macro view of its historical context and up close and personal on the front lines.

Tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

"Asia Pop: From Video Games to the Mobile Internet: The Gaming Platform Economy in Japan," March 23 (online) at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Marc Steinberg and his talk "From Video Games to the Mobile Internet: The Gaming Platform Economy in Japan" as part of the center's Asia Pop series on March 23.

This lecture by Dr. Marc Steinberg, Associate Professor of Film Studies at Concordia University, will situate Japanese mobile gaming within the longer history of mobile platforms in Japan in an effort to better understand the close relationship between mobile gaming and what we now know as the platform economy.

It starts at 5:00 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Azby Brown and "Mottainai: Sustainability in Contemporary Japan," March 17 with Pitt's Asian Studies Center.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Azby Brown and his talk "Mottainai: Sustainability in Contemporary Japan" on March 17.

The “mottainai” environmental resource and design principles of Edo-period Japan were so effective that they canserve as prototype and inspiration for truly sustainable living, teaching us the many benefits of living in a highly-developed circular economy. This talk shows how Edo-period Japanese lived and how they made optimum use oftheir limited resources.

Azby Brown is a native of New Orleans, and has lived in Japan since 1985. A widely published author and authority on Japanesearchitecture, design, and environment, his groundbreaking writings on traditional Japanese carpentry, compact housing, and traditional sustainable practices of Japan are recognized as having brought these fields to the awareness of Western designers and the general public. In addition to The Genius of Japanese Carpentry, he has written Small Spaces (1993), The Japanese Dream House (2001), The Very Small Home (2005), and Just Enough: Lessons in living green from traditional Japan (2010). He retired in 2017 from the Kanazawa Institute of Technology,where he founded the Future Design Institute, and is currently on the sculpture faculty of Musashino Art University in Tokyo.

This program is brought to you by the Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and made possible with the generous support of the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership

It starts at 7:00 pm EST and is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

"Table for Two: Japanese Soy-based Foods" hybrid event at Pitt, March 15.

via Futuredish.com

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host "Table for Two: Japanese Soy-based Foods" with Samantha Sodetz. It starts at 6:00 pm on Zoom and in Posvar Hall's Global Hub, and registration is required.

"We Learn: Korean Learning Circle" continues online and in-person at Carnegie Library Oakland, Saturdays through (at least) March and April.

via the Republic of Korea's Flickr page.

The Carnegie Library Main Branch in Oakland will host "We Learn: Korean Learning Circle" on Saturdays in March and April: March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, and 23.

We will cover the basic level to the intermediate/advanced levels. Based on the level of students, we can adjust course materials. Not only the Korean language, our tutors are always happy to share Korean cultures as well.

It runs from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. It's free and open to the public, but registration is required. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map) and is accessible by buses 28X, 54, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, and 93.

"We Learn: Korean Learning Circle," online and in-person at Carnegie Library Oakland, March 5.

via the Republic of Korea's Flickr page.

The Carnegie Library Main Branch in Oakland will host "We Learn: Korean Learning Circle" on Saturdays from March 5.

We will cover the basic level to the intermediate/advanced levels. Based on the level of students, we can adjust course materials. Not only the Korean language, our tutors are always happy to share Korean cultures as well.

It runs from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. It's free and open to the public, but registration is required. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map) and is accessible by buses 28X, 54, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, and 93.

K-Rave In Pittsburgh, March 11 at Level Up Studios.

The group 412 K Town (KPOPittsburgh) will present "K-Rave in Pittsburgh" on March 11.

K-Rave In Pittsburgh. Yes , we are having our own k-rave in Pittsburgh PA. For those who aren't familiar with k-rave, it is a kpop dance party event ( its not an actual rave ^^ ) Come join us and others to dance the night away by dancing to your favorite kpop songs from 2nd Gen to 4th Gen (also includes mash ups , remixes and concert mixes). Music will be provided by Dj.kidplay ( who is also known as imyoonotyou on tiktok ** that kpop dj from tiktok**). Door will open at 7pm and its $20 to enter this event. feel free to come by yourself or with a group because in the end of event , you will be making ton of kpop stan & kpop fan friends.

It runs from 7:00 to 11:00 pm. Level Up Studios is located at 4836 Penn Ave. in Garfield (map).

"MONKEY: New Writing from Japan Volume 2: Travel w/ Aoko Matsuda, Polly Barton, Adam Ehrlich Sachs, Motoyuki Shibata, and Meg Taylor" Virtual Launch at White Whale Bookstore, March 4.

White Whale Bookstore will host a virtual launch for "MONKEY: New Writing from Japan Volume 2: Travel w/ Aoko Matsuda, Polly Barton, Adam Ehrlich Sachs, Motoyuki Shibata, and Meg Taylor" on March 4.

So excited to be partnering up with MONKEY, which is based here in Pittsburgh, to launch their second volume of new and translated Japanese literature, Travel! We'll be joined by contributors Aoko Matsuda, Polly Barton, and editor/founder Motoyuki Shibata in an exclusive pre-recorded interview, followed by a conversation with contributor Adam Ehrlich Sachs and managing editor Meg Taylor.

Vol. 2 of MONKEY is 184 pages of full color, featuring the best of contemporary Japanese literature, from Kikuko Tsumura and Aoko Matsuda to Mieko Kawakami and Haruki Murakami, new translations of work by twentieth-century writers such as Yasunari Kawabata, a new graphic story by Satoshi Kitamura inspired by Gogol's "The Overcoat," and new work by American and Canadian writers Brian Evenson, Laird Hunt, Eric McCormack, and Barry Yourgrau—all friends of MONKEY. Published during the second year of the pandemic, this issue celebrates travel—something we did mostly in our imaginations in 2021!

It starts online at 7:00 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Asian Grocery opens in Castle Shannon.

via @asiangrocerypit  Asian Grocery opened in Castle Shannon on February 5. Located at 300 Mt. Lebanon Blvd. (map), it carries a variety of produce and staples from East, South, and Southeast Asia. The Allegheny County Health Department reports note it's the same ownership as the "Asian Grocery" on Library Rd. that closed in 2021.

Concert film BTS Permission to Dance on Stage - Seoul: Live Viewing in Pittsburgh, March 12.

The BTS concert film BTS Permission to Dance on Stage - Seoul: Live Viewing will play in Pittsburgh on March 12.

‘BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE -SEOUL’, a performance for BTS and ARMY to dance together live. Join us as BTS and ARMY become one once again with music and dance in this unmissable live concert experience broadcast from Seoul to cinemas around the world! ‘BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE’ is the latest world tour series headlined by 21st century pop icons BTS, featuring powerful performances and the greatest hit songs from throughout their incredible career. The earlier Los Angeles shows were seen by approximately 813,000 people across the four sold-out shows, making them one of the most successful shows in 2021. Don’t miss ‘BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE -SEOUL: LIVE VIEWING’ to see RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook on the big screen in your local cinema on Saturday, March 12 only. We don’t need permission to dance~♬

It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, Monroeville, and Robinson, and tickets for the 4:30 pm and 8:30 pm shows are available online.

Fifty (one) years of Asian festivals at Pitt.

Fifty-one years ago the University of Pittsburgh held its second annual Asian Spring Festival. No information remains about the first one, but there is ample literature to tell us about the 1972 iteration. Highlights included screenings of the 1961 Korean film Spring Fragrance (better known today as Chunhyang [춘향]), the 1965 Taiwanese film Beautiful Duckling (養鴨人家), an exhibition of 19th- and 20th century Korean art, and a series of lectures and performances.

A February 22 Pitt press release said of the 1961 Korean film, which is now available for free on Youtube with English subtitles:

Directed by Shin San Okk, Spring Fragrance is based on a famous folk tale of romance set in feudal 18th-century Korea. One of the country's most successful and beautiful films, it features may [sic] of Korea's leading stars.