Second Chengdu Gourmet location to open soon in North Hills.

The second Chengdu Gourmet location, coming soon to the North Hills since July 2021, looks set to open quite soon on McKnight Road. Paper is off the windows, the large bar and dining area is nearly complete, and "Now Open" signs are primed in the lobby. It will open at 4768 McKnight Road (map), in what was formerly Oriental Market (which moved up the street earlier in 2021).
In Pittsburgh Magazine last year, Hal B. Klein summarized some key differences between it and the Squirrel Hill location, which is routinely named among the best restaurants in the city:

There will be two significant distinctions [between the two restaurants]: Zhu plans to install tanks that will allow him to sell fresh-as-can-be fish and shellfish, and he’ll offer an expanded selection of Americanized-Chinese dishes (which were dialed-back in Squirrel Hill a few years ago) to better serve North Hills diners new to Sichuan cuisine.

The ample space will offer expanded seating, including two private dining rooms, a sushi counter and, as Zhu has acquired a liquor license for the new restaurant, a bar. “It’s going to be a much bigger restaurant. Everyone will be happy when they come here,” Zhu says.

7th Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival, September 24 at Mellon Park.

The Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center will present its 7th Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival on September 24 at Mellon Park (map). It will run from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm and offer traditional Chinese opera, Asian food, Chinese cultural performances, Asian food, a selection of vendors, and more.

2021 Japanese movie The House of the Lost on the Cape (岬のマヨイガ) in Pittsburgh, September 7.

The 2021 Japanese movie The House of the Lost on the Cape (岬のマヨイガ) will play in Pittsburgh on September 7.

When a devastating natural disaster leaves 17-year-old run-away Yui and 8-year-old orphan Hiyori without a home, they are taken in by Kiwa, a strange old woman who offers to let them stay in an abandoned yet suspiciously well-kept house overlooking the sea, known as a Mayoiga: a legendary house, said to look after lost travelers. Despite Yui’s hesitation to trust anyone and Hiyori’s inability to speak, they begin to form a sisterly bond that allows them to find comfort in the Mayoiga and embrace Kiwa’s hospitality. However, when a menacing entity is accidentally released and threatens their new home, the three must face their fears to save it.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

2022 film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (ドラゴンボール 超 スーパーヒーロー) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) September 1.

The 2022 film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (ドラゴンボール 超 スーパーヒーロー), which opened in Pittsburgh on August 18, will remain here through at least September 1.

The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals, who carry on its spirit, have created the ultimate Androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. These two Androids call themselves “Super Heroes”. They start attacking Piccolo and Gohan… What is the New Red Ribbon Army’s objective? In the face of approaching danger, it is time to awaken, Super Hero!

The movie was the top-grossing film in Japan its opening weekend of June 11-12, and is the eighth-highest earning domestic film in Japan this year so far. It plays locally at most Pittsburgh-area theaters, including: the AMC theaters in Waterfront, Mt. Lebanon, South Hills; the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson; the Waterworks Cinemas; the Hollywood Theater in Dormont; Squirrel Hill Manor; GQT Pittsburgh Mills; Chartiers Valley Luxury 14; and North Versailles Stadium 18. Tickets are available online.

Maelstrom named winner of Pitt's 2022 Japan Documentary Film Award.

The documentary Maelstrom has been named winner of the 2022 Japan Documentary Film Award, given biannually by the University of Pittsburgh's Japan Council and the SCREENSHOT: Asia film festival.

The Japan Council of the University of Pittsburgh and SCREENSHOT: ASIA are pleased thrilled to announce that Mizuko Yamaoka's Maelstrom is the 2022 winner of the JDFA! Maelstrom is Yamaoka’s story of “loss and rebirth” due to a drastic life change from a car accident that damaged her cervical vertebrae. A profoundly humanist tale of tragedy and rebirth, Yamaoka's intimate documentary is both a telling of her own losses and a portrait of human experience.

Maelstrom will be screened to the public on September 28 as part of this year's SCREENSHOT: Asia film festival which will play around the city and the University of Pittsburgh.

Previous winners of the award are An Ant Strikes Back (アリ地獄天国) in 2020 and Sennan Asbestos Disaster (ニッポン国VS泉南石綿村) in 2018.

2022 Korean sci-fi film Alienoid (외계+인 1부) in Pittsburgh, from August 25.

The 2022 Korean sci-fi film Alienoid (외계+인 1부) will play in Pittsburgh from August 25. From a South China Morning Post review:

Following a string of hits including The Big Swindle, The Thieves and Assassination, writer-director Choi Dong-hoon takes his biggest gamble to date with Alienoid.

The first of two planned films, this hugely ambitious undertaking is a bold blend of genres, interweaving alien invasion science fiction with goofy period fantasy.

It was the top-grossing film in Korea its opening weekend, July 24. It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, in Korean with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.

Chang Chun Chemical Corporation hiring bilingual Mandarin-English sales assistant.

Chang Chun Chemical Corporation is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English sales assistant for its location in Wexford, though the office notes proficiency in Mandarin is preferred but not required.

The Sales Administrative Assistant provides clerical and minor technical support for our United States Sales teams. The ideal candidate should have excellent oral and written communication skills, be detailed and organized, and is proficient in Microsoft Excel and other programs. Although, it is highly desirable for this candidate to be bilingual in Mandarin and English, it is not required.

This position is 100% onsite at our Wexford location and will not require travel.

Specifically, you would be responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:

• Issuing purchase orders, invoices, and sales related documents.

• Generating daily, weekly, and monthly reports for sales, accountability, and general information from the company’s CRM.

• Providing customer services to external and internal customers.

• Aiding in the recruitment of sales positions.

• Communicating with and advising the sales team as directed by management.

• Answering phone calls, emails, and sorting the post.
• Communicating with Headquarters located in Taipei for order processing and shipment arrangements.

• Handling customers’ enquiries and providing them with excellent customer service.

• Maintaining files and records.

• Managing stock inventory.

• Carrying out requests from management as needed.

1991 Japanese animated film Only Yesterday (おもひでぽろぽろ) in Pittsburgh August 28 and 29, part of this year's Ghibli Fest.

The 1991 Japanese animated film Only Yesterday (おもひでぽろぽろ) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on August 28 and 29, part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2022. A synopsis, from the distributor:

It’s 1982, and Taeko (Daisy Ridley) is 27 years old, unmarried, and has lived her whole life in Tokyo. She decides to visit her relatives in the countryside, and as the train travels through the night, memories flood back of her younger years: the first immature stirrings of romance, the onset of puberty, and the frustrations of math and boys. At the station she is met by young farmer Toshio (Dev Patel), and the encounters with him begin to reconnect her to forgotten longings. In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

From Academy Award®-nominated director Isao Takahata (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya) and general producer Hayao Miyazaki, Only Yesterday is a masterpiece of time and tone, rich with humor and stirring emotion, and beautifully animated by one of the world’s most revered animation studios. Critically acclaimed but never before released in North America, the film received a national theatrical release in a new, Studio Ghibli-produced, English-language version in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Chartiers Valley Luxury, and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson. Tickets are available online: the August 28 shows are dubbed in English while the August 29 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Japanese band Boris (ボリス) in Pittsburgh, September 6.

Japanese experimental rock band Boris (ボリス) will perform at Mr. Smalls Theater on September 6. They've played in Pittsburgh several times before, most recently in 2017. Tickets go on sale May 20 at 10:00 am. Mr. Smalls Theatre is located at 400 Lincoln Ave. in Millvale (map).

Oakland's K-Town Snack Bar eyes soft opening later this month.

K-Town Snack Bar, a Korean quick-service restaurant from the team behind the Mr. Bulgogi food truck, is eyeing a soft opening later in August. Originally scheduled to open August 15, the new restaurant will be located at at 210 Oakland Ave. (map), which briefly and most recently held Wild Ninja Asian Grill. K-Town's social media has interesting pictures of the new artwork in the store, done by Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture students.