Spots still available for free "Learn to Play the Pipa (Chinese Lute) – 4 Class Series for Adults" at Carnegie Library in Oakland, Thursdays in April.

Several places still remain for a series of free pipa lessons for adults in April, led by pipa soloist Yang Jin at the Carnegie Library in Oakland.

Renowned pipa performer Yang Jin will teach a series of 4 free pipa (Chinese lute) classes for adults beginning April 4. Pipa instruments will be provided during class. The classes, held Thursdays 6:30 – 7:30 PM, take place:

April 4 Adult Lesson 1

April 11 Adult Lesson 2

April 18 Adult Lesson 3

April 25 Adult Lesson 4

Registering for one class will register you for all 4 sessions in the series. The class is limited to 16 participants.

Registration is required and can be completed online. 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.

UPMC hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Patient Services Representative for Squirrel Hill office.

UPMC is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English Patient Services Representative for a Squirrel Hill office.

Do you have a background in healthcare working with patients? UPMC ishiring a Bilingual Patient Services Representative to support their office inSquirrel Hill.They are looking for someone who will be able to assist both the Chinese and English speaking patients. This position is full-time, Monday - Friday during daylight hours.

A Patient Services Representative is responsible for welcoming patients upon arrival, promoting the usage of new and emerging consumer-friendly technologies, educating patients on their copayments and financial obligations and collecting payments when applicable, scheduling subsequent appointments within the continuum of care, connecting patients to financial advocacy resources when appropriate, updating patient's demographics and insurance coverage information, and promoting an overall culture of service excellence. We are seeking candidates with a strong customer service background and a desire to be empowered to ensure a positive experience during a patient's visit to UPMC.

For more information, and to apply, review the posting on the UPMC website.

Listening to Monsters: Nature, Technology, and Sound Design in Gojira (1954), April 2 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present Dr. Brooke H. McCorkle and her talk "Listening to Monsters: Nature, Technology, and Sound Design in Gojira (1954)" on April 2. It starts at 5:30 pm in 3911 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival opens tomorrow at Row House Cinema.

The fourth annual Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival at the Row House Cinema features 12 films, a collection of Japanese TV gameshow moments, a number of special events, and runs from March 29's Ramen Fest through April 11.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" returns to East Liberty, April 16.

via archdaily.org

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on April 16 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).

Sister City 海阳?

via baidu.

According to today's Cranberry Eagle, the sister city relationship between Cranberry, Butler County, and Haiyang, China, is almost done, should be complete following a trip by Haiyang officials to western Pennsylvania in September.

[Butler Tourism and Convention Bureau president Jack] Cohen said the sister city project with Hai Yang will bring not only tourism to Butler County, but also potential Chinese businesses looking to expand into the U.S.

“As people get to know us and we get to know them, we build relationships,” Cohen said. “You never know what individuals are looking for.”

Hai Yang chose Butler County and Cranberry because Chinese Westinghouse employees living in Cranberry Township have reported a high quality of life, Cohen said.

Westinghouse is building a nuclear plant facility in Hai Yang, Cohen said.

Master Z: IP Man Legacy (葉問外傳：張天志) at Harris Theater, from April 19.

The 2018 Chinese martial arts film Master Z: IP Man Legacy (葉問外傳：張天志), which opens nationwide on April 12, will play at the Harris Theater downtown from April 19 through 25. The distributor provides a summary:

Legendary action director Yuen Wo Ping draws on a stellar cast (Michelle Yeoh, Dave Bautista, Tony Jaa, and Max Zhang) to create a hard-hitting martial arts blast worthy of its place in the celebrated IP MAN universe. Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi (Zhang), tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it’s not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight.

The movie will play in Mandarin with English subtitles. Showtime and ticket information is not yet available. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the Cultural District (map).

Dr. Stephen Luft and "Intercultural Communication in Japan and Beyond," April 7 in Shadyside.

By Toomore Chang (Creative Commons)

Dr. Stephen Luft of the University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will present "Intercultural Communication in Japan and Beyond" on April 7 at the First Unitarian Church in Shadyside.

This talk will address issues that arise in intercultural communication. When communicating with people from different cultures, differing expectations can result in misunderstood intentions. This misunderstanding often leads to a misjudgment of a person’s character. Examples of behaviors such as refusal, apology, listening, etc. will be used to show how actions that are considered polite in one culture can be considered impolite in another. Specific examples will be drawn from learning, teaching, and working in Japanese culture.

The talk runs from 9:00 to 10:15 am in the church's Schweitzer Room. The church is located at 605 Morewood Ave. (map).

"An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana," April 13 at Pitt.

via volunteerbali.org

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana" on April 13.

An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana features a pre-performance lecture by Dr. Meghan Hynson, puppetry by Ida Bagus Anom Suryawan assisted by Ida Ayu Kumalayoni, and Gender Wayang Music performed by Meghan Hynson, Yang Shuo, Wangcaixuan Zhang, and Annie Valdes.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map) and tickets are available for purchase online.

2018 Chinese film Girls Always Happy (柔情史) at Carnegie Mellon, March 31.

The 2018 Chinese film Girls Always Happy (柔情史) will play at Carnegie Mellon University on March 31, one of two Chinese movies playing at this year's CMU International Film Festival.

Wu is in her mid-twenties and lives with her mother in a traditional one-story house in one of Beijing’s hutongs. Both consider themselves to be writers, but success has so far eluded them. Their unhealthily close relationship is characterised by reproaches and quibbling; only during meals do they appear to lay down their verbal weapons. The situation escalates when both Wu and her mother hit an emotional low. Often compared to the fellow mother-daughter film, LADYBIRD, GIRLS ALWAYS HAPPY is both a funny and dramatic depiction of a complicated parent-child relationship, elevated by the charming performances of the two leads: An Nai and director Yang Mingming herself.

The movie starts at 4:00 pm in McConomy Auditorium and tickets are available online.