2018 Chinese film Ash is the Purest White (江湖儿女) continues in Pittsburgh through April 25.

The 2018 Chinese film Ash is the Purest White (江湖儿女), which opened in Pittsburgh on April 12, will continue in town through April 25. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Qiao is in love with Bin, a local mobster. During a fight between rival gangs, she fires a gun to protect him. Qiao gets five years in prison for this act of loyalty. Upon her release, she goes looking for Bin to pick up where they left off.

The movie plays at the Regent Square Theater on S. Braddock Ave. in Regent Square (map) and tickets are now available for purchase online.

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 has been playing in Pittsburgh since its nationwide release of 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. Tickets are now available to be purchased online. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the Cultural District (map).

Great DEALL (Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures) Conference celebrating undergraduate research, April 18 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will hold its first Great DEAL Conference on April 18.

The faculty of East Asian Languages & Literatures will host a celebration of the best and brightest of our students. All of our graduating seniors will be presenting a summary of their research projects. Prizes will be awarded. Refreshments will be offered during this day-long event of presentations and poster presentations. Learn about East Asia through the experience of hard-working undergrads. You'll be amazed.

The event runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in 2500 Posvar Hall (map).

Pitt hiring East Asian Library Student Assistant for summer position (Chinese proficiency required).

The University of Pittsburgh's East Asian Library is hiring a student assistant for a 20-hour-per-week position this summer.

The East Asian Library is looking for a reliable, detail-oriented student to work 20 hours per week. The student assistant will help to carry on a Chinese studies related project. Primary responsibilities include data extracting, input, sorting and testing.

This position requires Chinese Language skills.

Applicants must submit a CV.

This position is for summer 2019 only.

The job pays $8.15 an hour. Those interested should apply online (mypitt.edu login required).

2018 Japanese animated film Okko's Inn (若おかみは小学生) in Pittsburgh, April 22 and 23.

The 2018 Japanese animated film Okko's Inn (若おかみは小学生) will play in the Pittsburgh area on April 22 and 23. The distributor provides a summary:

After losing her parents in a car accident, Okko goes to live in the countryside with her grandmother, who runs a traditional Japanese inn built on top of an ancient spring said to have healing waters. While she goes about her chores and prepares to become the inn’s next caretaker, Okko discovers there are spirits who live there that only she can see – not scary ones, but welcoming ghosts who keep her company, play games and help her navigate her new environment. The inn’s motto is that it welcomes all and will reject none, and this is soon put to the test as a string of new guests challenge Okko’s ability to be a gracious host. But ultimately Okko discovers that dedicating herself to others becomes the key to taking care of herself.

The latest feature from famed anime studio Madhouse and director Kitaro Kosaka, who was a key animator on numerous classic films at the venerable Studio Ghibli, seamlessly blends immersive, idyllic landscapes with the storybook charm of Okko’s beloved ghosts. Okko’s Inn delivers a rare ghost story that –despite several floating characters – is firmly grounded in the trials and joys of humanity.

It will play locally at the Cinemark theaters in North Hills and Robinson. The April 22 screenings are dubbed in English while the April 23 screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are now available online.

Chinese calligraphy workshop downtown, May 25.

"Chinese calligrapher," by David Boté Estrada (Creative Commons).

The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese calligraphy workshop on May 25.

A Chinese calligraphy expert will show us pictures of her home in China, give background on the art of calligraphy, and lead a Chinese calligraphy workshop for all ages! No registration is necessary for these sessions. Seating for all workshops is available to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll want to come early to be sure you MAKE it on time.

The event runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The Downtown & Business branch is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

“Body Writing” and “Quotidian Writing” in Contemporary Chinese Women’s Poetry, April 19 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will present Dr. Hua Huang and her talk “Body Writing” and “Quotidian Writing” in Contemporary Chinese Women’s Poetry on April 19.

Art in the US-Japan Relationship: Preserving the Floating World, April 18 at Carnegie Museum of Art.

The Japan America Society of Pennsylvania will present Art in the US-Japan Relationship: Preserving the Floating World on Thursday, April 18.

Please join us for a special presentation of Japanese art as part of the Richard J. Wood Art Curators Series. The series brings attention to major collections of Japanese art in the U.S. and their role in the U.S.-Japan grassroots relationship.

Beyond his fame as Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Tales of the South Pacific and Hawaii, James A. Michener is well remembered as an enthusiastic collector of fine art. He managed to assemble the third largest collection of ukiyo-e in the United States, which he then gifted to the Honolulu Museum of Art. His donation now comprises approximately half of the museum's collection of more than 10,000 Japanese ukiyo-e. Join us at the Carnegie Museum of Art to learn about Michener's collecting journey with Stephen Salel, Robert F. Lange Foundation Curator of Japanese Art at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

The event starts at 6:00 pm and registration is required. The museum is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map), accessible by buses 28X, 58, 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71B, 71D, 75, and P3.

Run River North at Club Cafe, May 15.

Indie folk-rock band Run River North will play Club Cafe on May 15. A 2016 NBC profile described the band as

a group formed back in 2011 as a "conversation for immigrant family kids to talk about, or just to have some kind of space" to share their family histories, according to lead singer Alex Hwang.

And Club Cafe's profile says, in part:

Not just an Asian-American band or a group that relies on a set sonic formula, the EP continues to expand upon the band's prior folk-leaning backbone. On lead single "Hands Up," the band is at their most bombastic. The result of a co-writing collaboration with Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi of Grouplove, the duo's first of such sessions "Hands Up" pairs an earworm-y chorus with a front-and-center guitar melody, a second voice among Hwang's lead bellow. Overall, the group utilizes more drum programming, dreamy synth, and dynamic production -- a more expansive sonic palette.

Tickets for the 8:00 pm show are available online. Club Cafe is located at 56 S. 12th St. in the South Side (map).

Chinese restaurant replaces Hanami in Oakland.

A new Chinese restaurant has replaced Hanami on Fifth Ave. in Oakland. Signage indicates the unnamed restaurant is in a soft opening phase at 3608 Fifth Ave. (map).

Hanami opened in November 2018 as a rebranded version of Thai Hana, a restaurant that was among the worst in terms of health department violations in the county. During Hanami's initial inspection it received 10 violations; the restaurant closed several weeks ago.