The Farewell at Row House Cinema, September 6 through 12.

The Farewell, which opened in Pittsburgh on August 1, continue at the Row House Cinema from September 6 through 12. From the distributor:

In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration of both the way we perform family and the way we live it, masterfully interweaving a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.

It plays at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville as part of the Amazing New Directors series. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Made to Dance II - Sori Na Tour in Pittsburgh, September 19.

Kamoflage Entertainment will bring Korean choreographer Sori Na to Pittsburgh on September 19, one of five US dates part of this fall's tour.

With the major success of “Made to Dance Tour” 2018, Kamoflage Entertainment’s aims to bring back a more refined and exciting session year after year for its fans. MTD is THE unique opportunity to experience dancing and learning alongside South Korea’s top choreographers. K-Pop fans, cover dance teams and dance enthusiasts will get their hands on a privately curated class with your instructor Sori Na all in the comfort of their cities. We bring the artist to you!

. . .

Sori Na is a widely recognized South Korean choreographer boasting a Youtube audience reach of 140k+ with each videos garnering thousands of views. She has worked with famous musicians such Jay Park and Tyga.

It will be held in the Simmons Auditorium in the Tepper Quad at Carnegie Mellon University and tickets are available online.

3D-animated Chinese movie Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世) to stay in Pittsburgh through September 11.

The new 3D animated Chinese film Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世), which opened in Pittsburgh on August 29, will remain in town through at least September 11. From the distributor:

A young boy, Nezha, is birthed from a heavenly pearl by the Primeval Lord of Heaven. Born with unique powers, Nezha finds himself as an outcast who is hated and feared. Destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, the young boy must choose between good and evil in order to break the shackles of fate and become the hero.

It is the highest-grossing Chinese animated film of all time. It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater and tickets are available online. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.

Author Grace Lin in Pittsburgh, November 3.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will host children's author Grace Lin on November 3.

Grace Lin is the award-winning and bestselling author and illustrator of A Big Mooncake for Little Star, a gorgeous Caldecott Honor-winning picture book for young readers. Grace is also the author of When the Sea Turned to Silver, Starry River of the Sky, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, Dumpling Days, and Ling & Ting, as well as picture books such as The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone! Her newest book A Big Bed for Little Snow is due to be released in October 2019.

The event starts at 2:30 pm at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland (map) and will be followed by a book signing. Tickets are now available online.

Free Mid-Autumn Concert at Rivers Casino with Mai Tiến Dũng, Nguyễn Hồng Nhung, Đặng Thế Luân , and more, September 8.

Rivers Casino (map) will host a free Mid-Autumn Concert on September 8, featuring a number of Vietnamese and Chinese performers. The concert runs from 9 to 11 pm. Tickets are limited and those interested should call 412-566-4615.

Pittsburgh Pirates claim Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Chung Wang (王維中), place him on Major League roster.

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Chung Wang off waivers from Oakland and have placed him on the 40-man roster. Wang was originally in the Pirates system before being claimed by Milwaukee in the Rule Five draft prior to the 2014 season. If he plays for the Major League team he will be the first Taiwanese player in Pittsburgh Pirates history.

Japanese Language Social Hour, September 12 at Pitt.

Via Yasuda Women's University.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center is hosting a Japanese Language Social Hour on Thursday, September 12, with the group of students from Yasuda Women's University spending the term at the English Language Institute. A description from last year:

Interested in practicing your Japanese language with native speakers? The Asian Studies Center is partnering with students from Yasuda University in Japan who are studying English at Pitt's English Language Institute. We will organize a series of games to encourage Japanese/English conversations and hopefully many participants will find a language partner.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:30 pm in the new Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall (map).

"Materializing Memory: Contemporary Video Art from China," September 5 through October 11 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's University Art Gallery will host the exhibit "Materializing Memory: Contemporary Video Art from China" from September 5 through October 11.

Exhibited in Pittsburgh for the first time, Materializing Memory presents the work of five young Chinese artists, all born after 1980. These artists are part of China’s balinghou and jiulinghou (post-1980 and post-1990) generations. Unlike earlier practitioners, they came of age following the dramatic economic and cultural reforms of 1978. Through the medium of video art, these artists explore contemporary Chinese society during a period of profound technological and urban transformation. Their work is deeply informed by the Internet, rapid economic development, international communication and exchange, as well as opportunities to earn advanced degrees abroad. These videos document personal and collective experiences. Some record individual feelings of boredom and isolation, while others investigate broader social contradictions and complexities within China and beyond. Together, these works illustrate the plasticity of contemporary experience, and ask what it means to remember during a time when progress accelerates the urge to forget.

The exhibition's opening reception is scheduled from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on September 5; the gallery is open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm weekdays in the Frick Fine Arts Building in Oakland (map).

GlobalPittsburgh Happy Hour with visiting Yasuda Women's University students, September 5.

Interior of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning, from the 2019 Yasuda Women's University promotional catalog.

GlobalPittsburgh's next First Thursdays Happy Hour on September 5 will welcome students from Yasuda Women's University (安田女子大学) in Hiroshima.

In September, we will have special guests from Japan. The 43 students from Yasuda University will be study abroad students at the English Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Their host families are also invited to celebrate!

Meet globally-minded people from Pittsburgh and all over the world to make new friends and learn more about different cultures at our GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays monthly happy hour. Bring your friends, family, and colleagues or come alone - we are a very friendly group!

A cohort of undergraduates has studied each fall at the University of Pittsburgh's English Language Institute since 2016.
The event runs from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Roland's Seafood Grill in the Strip District (map), and tickets are available online.

Fuku Tea to open second Oakland location.

Via Margittai Architects.

Fuku Tea will open a second Oakland location at 300 S. Craig St. (map). Plans have been in the works for months and the space was cleared when Razzy Fresh frozen yogurt closed at the spot on August 31. The owners of the popular bubble tea spot also run Sushi Fuku, which has one of its three locations on the same street.