"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, November 20.

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on September 18 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Thai Hana in Oakland closes, to rebrand as Hanami.

Thai Hana, which opened in Oakland in 2013 and has been one of the Allegheny County restaurants most cited for health violations, has recently closed and will rebrand as Hanami. It will be located at 3608 Fifth Ave. (map). The handwritten sign says the new place will offer sushi, pho, and Asian cuisine.

Thai Hana had 352 inspection violations, the seventh-most in Allegheny County since 2012 in spite of only opening in mid-2013.

Taiwanese catcher Jin-de Jhang (張進德) leaves Pirates organization.

via LineToday.

Taiwanese catcher Jin-de Jhang (張進德) has left the Pittsburgh Pirates organization via free agency, choosing to sign with the San Francisco Giants. Jhang signed with Pittsburgh in 2011 and made it as far as AAA Indianapolis, but was stuck behind several other players on the organization's depth chart. In 2013 the Post-Gazette wrote he was part of a "scouting revolution" for the Pirates.

1934 Chinese silent film The Goddess (神女) at Pitt, November 15.

The University of Pittsburgh's Film and Media Studies Program will present the 1934 Chinese silent film The Goddess (神女) on November 15.

The November Pittsburgh Film and Media Colloquium will feature a screening of the Chinese silent film The Goddess (directed by Wu Yonggang, 1934). Released by the Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay), the film stars Ruan Lingyu in one of her final roles. This will be a special presentation featuring pipa artist and composer Min Xiao-Fen and guitarist Rez Abbasi, two New York-based artists who have created a score to accompany the screening of the film. The film will be introduced by Kun Qian, Associate Professor of Chinese Literature and Film.

The movie starts at 6:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map).

CantoMando at Pitt, November 10.

The University of Pittsburgh's Chinese American Student Association will host CandoMando on Novmeber 10.

Pitt CASA is proud to bring CantoMando to the University of Pittsburgh! CantoMando is a group of Chinese Americans who make comedic and relatable videos regarding the Chinese American experience. They have over amassed over 50 thousand subscribers on YouTube, and they're coming to speak at Pitt soon!

It runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the William Pitt Union Lower Lounge (map).

1986 Hayao Miyazaki film Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ) in Pittsburgh, November 18 - 20.

The 1986 Hayao Miyazaki film Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ) will play in Pittsburgh on November 18, 19, and 20 as the final installment of this year's GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest.

This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer’s apprentice, spies a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky, held aloft by a glowing pendant. Both Sheeta and Pazu are searching for the legendary floating castle, Laputa, and they vow to travel there together to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal. But their quest won’t be easy, as soon they are being pursued by greedy air pirates, the military, and secret government agents, who all seek the power Sheeta alone can control.

The movie will play at the Southside Works Cinemas and at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Monaca, North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The November 18 and 20 shows will be dubbed in English while the November 19 screenings will be in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

University of Pittsburgh hiring Asian Studies Librarian.

The University of Pittsburgh's University Library System is hiring an Asian Studies Librarian.

Reporting to the Head of the East Asia Division, the Asian Studies Librarian’s responsibilities and duties include but are not limited to:

• Assist the Head of the East Asia Division to set goals and priorities for the East Asian collection, and develops, coordinates and implements plan in furtherance of these goals.
• Assist the Head of the East Asia Division in discovering and acquiring unique Chinese and South Asia materials.
• Cultivate collaborative relationships and promotes the East Asian collection’s presence on campus & externally.
• Serve as a liaison for South Asia studies across campus, and work with ULS Technical Services Department to update the approval plan profile on Western language humanities and social science materials related to South Asia.
• Work with ULS departments on East and South Asian studies related digital scholarship. Initiate, participate and carry out special projects, and develop and maintain user tools such as finding aids and research guides to aid and enhance access.
• Provide in-person and virtual reference assistance to faculty, students, staff, alumni, and the general public to access and use all available Chinese and South Asia collection materials and information resources.
• Provide research consultation and instruction services for the Pitt faculty and students related to Chinese studies and South Asia, and create and maintain Chinese studies and South Asia studies LibGuides.

For more information, please refer to the job posting.

"Shakespeare in Tokyo" at Pittsburgh Shorts Festival 2018, November 16.

The Australian short film "Shakespeare in Tokyo" will play at the Pittsburgh Shorts Festival 2018 on November 16.

An Australian Shakespeare fan with Down Syndrome, sets off on a solo adventure to discover Tokyo in order to get away from his over-bearing older brother.

It plays as part of a 97-minute block on Friday, November 16 at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty (map) Tickets for the block are $12 general admission or $8 for students.

Japanese drumming group Taikoza performing at Pitt-Titusville, Penn State Behrend, November 13 and 14.

Two regional campuses of Pitt and Penn State will host the Japanese drumming and performance group Taikoza on November 13 and 14.

Come discover the wonderful world that Taikoza creates through sounds and sights. Experience the thunderous sounds like never before. Taikoza is a unique Taiko group that features taiko drums, shakuhachi and fue in a mind-blowing performances. Taikoza will make you rediscover Taiko and bring you a raw energy that will energize your senses.

"Rose Valley: Love, Violence, and Communist Dystopia in Maoist China," November 16 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will host Baoyu Xie and his book talk "Rose Valley: Love, Violence, and Communist Dystopia in Maoist China" on November 16.

It is commonly recognized that the incessant political campaigns in Maoist China resulted in disastrous consequences throughout the nation, but the regional differences and specificities in practice have yet to be explored. Rose Valley (Meigui ba玫瑰坝) is an epic narrative that depicts the tumultuous transformation of a small village in Sichuan province from 1950 to 1967. It offers a realistic account of the rural landscape in Southwestern China, which is unique in modern Chinese literature and merits special attention for social history. Revolved around the love story between an enthusiastic party cadre and a widow from a landowner family, the novel vividly relates how the Maoist utopian dream is shattered after waves of political campaigns such as the land reform, anti-rightist movement, Mutual-Aid Teams, Cooperativization, Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution, hit the village and the protagonists.

In this talk, the novel’s author, Baoyu (Peter) Xie, will share his experience of writing this novel and reflect on the profound influence of Maoist agricultural policy on local cadres, landowners, students, and ordinary peasants.