Caissa Touristic to start charter flights from Pittsburgh to China starting in June, first steps toward non-stop service.

Caissa Touristic will start offering charter flights from Pittsburgh International Airport to China starting in June, according to a press release and the local papers. Pittsburgh will be the first city in North America serviced by Caissa Touristic. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The flights are a product of an agreement with the airport authority, which operates Pittsburgh International; the VisitPittsburgh tourism group; and Idea Foundry, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that works with Chinese families and students to encourage educational ties and investment.

In addition to bringing tourists from China, Caissa will sell tickets in the Pittsburgh region for travelers interested in flying to the country on the return trip.

“This is huge step forward for the future, particularly for nonstop air service to China. The charter-to-scheduled service model has been successfully adopted in other parts of the world,” said Christina Cassotis, airport authority CEO. “We are the first U.S. market to tap into China’s fast-growing tourism market with this type of business model, and it shows Pittsburgh to be an industry leader.”

Ambassador Gheewhan Kim and "Challenges in the Korean Peninsula: Nuclear, Trade and Economics", April 7 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Consul General of the Republic of Korea in New York Gheewhan Kim and his talk "Challenges in the Korean Peninsula: Nuclear, Trade and Economics" on April 7.

The Korean Peninsula currently faces many challenges. The biggest challenge is North Korea's continued development of nuclear and missile programs--ever-increasing threat not only to South Korea and its neighbors, but also the United States. In response, the United States and Korea agreed to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea. Opposing this alliance decision, China is taking a series of retaliatory measures against South Korea in trade, cultural exchanges, tourism, etc.

The sudden US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and growing nationalist sentiment has been increasing economic uncertainties in the Asia-Pacific region. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. What is a fair assessment of this agreement in terms of our common goals of economic growth and job creation?

The talk begins at 12:00 pm in the English Room (room number 144) on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning (map). It is free and open to the public.

Inspired by Gamelan: Music by Indonesian and Western Composers, April 8 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "Inspired by Gamelan: Music by Indonesian and Western Composers" at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on April 8.

Pitt’s University Gamelan will present “Inspired by Gamelan: Music by Indonesian and Western Composers” on April 8th at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Gamelan comprises mainly percussion instruments including tuned gongs, metal-keyed instruments, and drums (as well as bamboo flute and voice). This instrumentation has a unique capacity to saturate the air with resonances that reach from rumbling lows to shimmering highs. The concert will feature student performers and two artists-in-residence: Endang Sukandar and Endang Rukandi.

General admission tickets are $8.50 in advance or $12 at the door; Pitt students are free and non-Pitt students and senior citizens pay $5 in advance or $8 at the door. The Frick Fine Arts building is located in Oakland (map), across from Schenley Plaza and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Signage up for new Asian hair salon in Squirrel Hill.

Signage recently went up for InStyle Hair Salon, an Asian hair salon coming to 5815 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill. It was most recently a Kidz & Company children's clothing store.

New noodle restaurant coming to Squirrel Hill.

A March 31 building permit at 2103 Murray Ave. (map), what was most recently Sree's Foods, indicates a new noodle restaurant is coming to Squirrel Hill.

Hit Japanese animated movie Your Name (君の名は) in Pittsburgh, from April 7.

The record-setting Japanese movie Your Name (君の名は) will be premiering across the United States on April 7, and will open in Pittsburgh at the SouthSide Works Cinema. The distributor provides a summary:

From director Makoto Shinkai, the innovative mind behind Voices of a Distant Star and 5 Centimeters Per Second, comes a beautiful masterpiece about time, the thread of fate, and the hearts of two young souls.

The day the stars fell, two lives changed forever. High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other. Yet, somehow, it works. They build a connection and communicate by leaving notes, messages, and more importantly, an imprint.

When a dazzling comet lights up the night’s sky, it dawns on them. They want something more from this connection—a chance to meet, an opportunity to truly know each other. Tugging at the string of fate, they try to find a way to each other. But distance isn’t the only thing keeping them apart. Is their bond strong enough to face the cruel irony of time? Or is their meeting nothing more than a wish upon the stars?

Tickets and showtimes are available from the Southside Works Cinema website. The shows will be in Japanese with English subtitles except the first screening of the day, which will be dubbed in English. The theater is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the SouthSide Works shopping center (map).

How To: Asia - Chinese Papercutting at Pitt, April 5.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host the next in its How To: Asia series with a workshop on Chinese Papercutting on April 5.

As part of our How To: Asia series, Tiantian (Maggie) Lyu will teach students the folk art of papercutting.  Its history dates back more than two thousand years.  Participants will have a chance to create their own paper cuttings.

The event starts at 3:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Documentary The Eagle Huntress at CMU, April 6.

The Eagle Huntress, the 2016 documentary about a 13-year-old girl training to be an eagle hunter in Mongolia, will play at the Carnegie Mellon University International Film Festival on April 6. A brief synopsis from the distributor:

THE EAGLE HUNTRESS follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries.

Set against the breathtaking expanse of the Mongolian steppe, THE EAGLE HUNTRESS features some of the most awe-inspiring cinematography ever captured in a documentary, giving this intimate tale of a young girl's quest the dramatic force of an epic narrative film.

While there are many old Kazakh eagle hunters who vehemently reject the idea of any female taking part in their ancient tradition, Aisholpan's father Nurgaiv believes that a girl can do anything a boy can, as long as she's determined.

The movie starts at 7:00 pm in the Jared L. Cohon University Center McConomy Auditorium (map) and includes an interaction with a live falcon from the National Aviary. Tickets are available online.

Poet and calligrapher Huang Xiang at Shaler North Hills Library April 6, Maridon Museum April 8.

Chinese poet and calligrapher Huang Xiang will appear at Shaler North Hills Library on April 6, part of its weekly Art and Inspiration series. Writes the Tribune-Review:

During Xiang's library appearance on April 6 he might show “Century Mountain Morph,” a video showcasing “The Century Mountain Project” and some videos highlighting his life, Rock said. Host Alyssa Sineni, Art and Inspiration executive director of programming and community outreach, will facilitate a dialogue between Xiang and the audience and possibly share her own poetry.

“He somehow transcends the language barrier,” Rock said. “Like, people feel an emotional reaction when he performs his poetry. You don't have to understand Chinese, but we always have an English version read also.”

The event starts at 7:00 pm and is free and open to the public. The library is located at 1822 Mt. Royal Blvd. (map).

Huang will be at the Maridon Museum in downtown Butler on April 8 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. His work will be on display from the 8th through June 3. A $10 donation is suggested for the April 8 event.

Squirrel Hill's Thai & Noodle Outlet to open March 31.

Squirrel Hill's Thai & Noodle Outlet is scheduled to open tonight, March 31.

Signage went up earlier in the month at 5813 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), in what was most recently Sukhothai Bistro. That replaced Cool Ice Taipei, a Taiwanese food place, back in June 2014.