Dr. Shinil Kim and "Achievement and Issues of Korean Education" at Pitt, October 23.

University of Pittsburgh alumnus Dr. Shinil Kim will speak at Pitt's School of Education on October 23 on "Achievements and Issues of Korean Education".

Korea is recognized internationally as having made strong advancements in education. The country is often given high rankins in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), has the highest enrollment rates in secondary and tertiary education, and contributing to the overall economic development of education, among other achievements. Nonetheless, there are still difficult education issues on education that Korean society has to tackle wisely. Shinil Kim's presentation at the School of Education will review the development as well as some of these issues within Korean education.

The talk will be held in 5604 Posvar Hall from 2:10 to 3:15. Registration is required and can be done through October 20 by emailing sks at pitt.edu.

Dr. Kim, a former Korean minister of education and longtime professor at one of Korea's top universities, earned a Ph.D. from Pitt in 1978, writing his dissertation on "A Cross-National Analysis of the Determinants of Public Efforts in Education". He was awarded a University of Pittsburgh 225th Anniversary Medallion in 2013 as a distinguished alumnus.


Fourth from left, Via 동아일보.

Taiwanese film Touch of the Light at ReelAbilities Film Festival, October 26.

The Taiwanese film Touch of the Light is one of four movies comprising the ReelAbilities Film Festival this month, and will be playing at Bakery Square on October 26.

When a young, gifted pianist who is blind, arrives from his rural village to the city to attend university, he struggles to fit in with his classmates. But, then he meets Jie, a young woman striving to realize her dreams of becoming a dancer. The two take comfort in their new-found friendship. Based on the true life story of Huang Yu-Siang, who stars as himself, Touch of the Light celebrates the triumphs of those who dare to dream.

The movie plays at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories in Bakery Square (map) and starts at 1:00 pm. Tickets are $5 for students or $10 for general admission, and are available online.

Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe at Penn State Greater Allegheny campus, October 13.

Pittsburgh's Silk Screen Arts and Cultural Organization tells us about a free performance Monday evening by the Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe at Penn State Greater Allegheny campus. From a Penn State news item:

The 27 member troupe from Ningbo Performance & Arts Group is traveling to the U.S. from Ningbo, China. The group is planning an approximately 1.5 hour performance, which will include parts from "Andi," adapted from Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer-winning "Anna Christie" as well as highlights from a few other plays.

The Ningbo opera originated from the countryside of Zhejiang Province. As one of the most important local operas, it is widely popular in Ningbo, Zhoushan, Taizhou and Shanghai. With a wide repertoire featuring traditional Chinese opera and interpretations of modern works, the Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe has performed in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the United States, among other countries.

The group’s recent performance of “The Red Dress” at New York City’s Lincoln Center won the 11th National Spiritual Civilization Five Top Project Prize and the Excellent Repertoire Award of the Seventh China Dance Lotus Award.

The show starts at 7 pm in the Wunderly Gymnasium (campus map). The Penn State branch campus is located in McKeesport, roughly 16 miles southeast of Pittsburgh (map).

"CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections" at Pitt, October 16.

The University of Pittsburgh will host a presentation on coal energy in China and a webcast by former President of the United States Jimmy Carter for its "CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections" on October 16. From the University Center for International Studies:

The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in collaboration with The Carter Center is conducting the eighth annual CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections program at more than 70 locations nationwide featuring a live webcast and Q&A with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on October 16, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. President Carter’s discussion and responses to questions submitted by the nationwide audience will be moderated by National Committee President Stephen Orlins.

In addition to the national portion of the program, each venue will have a prominent China specialist on site to address topics of interest to the local community, including economics and trade, energy and the environment, security and other issues. Pittsburgh’s China specialist will be Ailun Yang of the World Resources Institute, speaking on “Coal and Sustainability in China—What’s the Future?”

The event runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

"Rubber Duck Project" in Seoul from October 14.

A familiar face will be in Seoul next week. The Florentijn Hofman installation that captivated Pittsburgh last fall will be in Seoul's Seokchon Lake, outside of Lotte World, from October 14.

Tibetan Chant Ceremony at Heinz Chapel, October 14.

Heinz Chapel will host the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery to perform the Medicine Buddha Puja on October 14. The chant begins at 7:00 pm and there is a suggested, but not required, donation of $10.

"Split Lives: Korean-Chinese Transnational Bodies and Time" lecture at Pitt, October 17.

June Hee Kwon, the newly-arrived Korea-Japan Postdoctoral Fellow in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Anthropology, will present "Split Lives: Korean-Chinese Transnational Bodies and Time" on October 17, as part of a regular Brown Bag Lecture Series. A summary, via the University Center for International Studies:

This talk examines the transnational temporality—back and forth—created by the combined effects of visa regulations, the characteristics of transnational labor, and transnational female working bodies. On the basis of ethnographic research on Korean Chinese migrant workers moving between China and Korea, I highlight the spatial division created by this repetitive migration: Korea is a place for making money, whereas China is a place for spending money; Korea is a place for working (productive labor), China is a place for resting (reproductive labor). Under this split in spatial practices, I argue, migrants have internalized a rhythm—a back and forth—that serves as a governing force on the laboring body, thereby making care for the body more difficult, and prolonging its exploitation in intensive labor.

Her 2013 dissertation on the topic, Mobile Ethnicity: The Formation of the Korean Chinese Transnational Migrant Class, is available online to those with access to the University of Pittsburgh Library System.

The talk runs from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in 4217 Posvar Hall (map), and is free and open to the public.

"Jews, China, and Israel", October 12.

via 匹茲堡大學.

The University of Pittsburgh Confucius Institute and the Hillel Jewish University Center Pittsburgh will present "Jews, China, and Israel" on October 12. The talk by Jewish Chronicle publisher Jim Busis is the final lecture in the "Jewish Refugees in Shanghai" exhibit running through the 15th. It's free, and begins at 6:00 pm at the Hillel Jewish University Center in Oakland (map).

Cirque Peking: National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China coming to IUP, November 11.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania announced on Monday it will host Cirque Peking: National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China on November 11.

Direct from Beijing, the National Circus and Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China have been thrilling audiences of all ages for over 60 years with their spectacular stunts. Colorfully costumed acrobats and contortionists defy gravity with their jaw-dropping, nail-biting acts.

Founded in 1951, this touring group of acrobatic perfection has been one of the most acclaimed troupes in China. Over several generation, the Company has developed many unique acts like “Global Motorcycling,” “Russian Bars In Chinese Traditional Style,” “Diving Through Moving Hoops,” and “Aerial Bungee Tumblings.” These acts and many others have been enjoyed and praised by Chinese and foreign audiences for decades. Since its inception, there have been more than 200 artists of the Company who have won the gold and silver awards at international and national acrobatic competitions and circus festivals.

The show will be held in Fisher Auditorium (campus map) and will begin at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available online for between $18 and $40.

"Constructing Chinese Cosmpolitanism: Southeast Asia, Overseas Chinese, and Xiamen, 1842-1937" at Pitt, October 10.

A photo of 19th-century Xianmen, from a flyer for this talk last year.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present "Constructing Chinese Cosmpolitanism: Southeast Asia, Overseas Chinese, and Xiamen, 1842-1937", a lecture by its Associate Director Dr. James Cook, on October 10. The abstract:

Located on China’s southeast coast, the city of Xiamen had long stood as one of the poles of the Overseas Chinese universe; local merchants had already established a well-defined trading network as early as the 13th century, and over 2 million people departed from the city for Southeast Asia over the course of the 19th century. The global scope of Xiamen’s merchants and their trading networks, the people’s historical roots in diaspora and international commerce, and the distinctive nature of overseas “Chineseness” combined to produce a new narrative of community and development. In many ways Xiamen’s Overseas Chinese became “bridges to modernity” that moved into and out of China. Time abroad within the modernizing confines of colonial Southeast Asia led many returned-émigrés to feel that they alone understood the process of modernization and how to create a truly Chinese modernity. Ultimately their new discourse of modernization was constructed around the commercial wealth of overseas Chinese merchant life, integrated with a revamped Confucianism and a newly discovered historical tradition.

The presentation will be held from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (campus map).