2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍) in Pittsburgh, from May 15.

The 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon---starring Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, and Zhang Ziyi---will play in Pittsburgh from May 15.

In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level.

It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, and tickets are available online.

Reading & Conversation: M Lin "The Memory Museum" (with Robert Yune), May 16 at White Whale Bookstore.

White Whale Bookstore will present Reading & Conversation: M Lin "The Memory Museum" (with Robert Yune) on May 16.

It is our joy and honor at White Whale to celebrate debut authors! We are thrilled to welcome M Lin to White Whale to celebrate her debut, The Memory Museum, an expansive, unforgettable short story collection centering the lives and experiences of Chinese millennial women. Her story “Shangri-La” is set in Pittsburgh! M Lin will be joined in conversation by Robert Yune. 

“An astounding talent with an unforgettable voice. The Memory Museum is a book for the ages.”—R. O. Kwon, author of Exhibit

Stretching from the present to the future, from China to America and beyond, M Lin’s piercing debut collection depicts characters finding beauty amidst the disorientation of migration, the contradictions of living between cultures, the perverse realities of race and class, and the delicate dance between survival and resistance. In “Scenes from Childhood,” an elderly woman in a dystopian reality is visited by forgotten memories of her grandfather’s village. In “Magic, or Something Less Assuring,” a fraying couple goes on a divorce honeymoon in Morocco to surprising results. “You Won’t Read This in the News” imagines four migrant workers and petty thieves who forge an unshakable connection across one desperate night. A filmmaker thwarted by censorship untangles her fraught relationship to motherhood and artmaking in “Tough Egg.” And in a newly instated Memory Museum generations into the future, two sensory architects weave a moving tapestry of love and radical hope. Brimming with joy, insight, and emotional power, The Memory Museum unveils M Lin as an irresistible new talent with fearless political and stylistic imagination.

The event runs from 7 to 8:00 pm both in-store and online; both options require registration. The bookstore is located at 4754 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield (map).

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill opens in McCandless after coming soon for 1,000 days.

Via Town of McCandless Open Discussion Facebook Group. 

After a wait of over 1,000 days, Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill in McCandless opened on May 5. Work had been underway since Summer 2023 on the second Shabu Shabu location in Pittsburgh, after its first opened in Robinson in June 2025. It occupies a building shared with Midwest Shooting Center across from LaRoche University (map).

A big Pittsburgh restaurant trend in 2023 and 2024 was planning, and sometimes opening, all-you-can-eat Korean-style BBQ and hot pot places. Several places did ultimately open, like Hong BBQ on McKnight Road, a second Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill in Robinson (which has since become the first), among a couple others, while Korean BBQ in Oakland was famously delayed and the Kpot in Squirrel Hill ultimately pulled the plug in 2025 after two years of inactivity.

Yo! Brew nears completion on Duquesne University campus.

Signage is up for Yo! Brew, a bubble tea place and bakery opening soon on the Duquense University campus. Locust St. under Brottier Hall. (map), in what was formerly a Subway, and comes via the team behind Yotea & Yoka Kitchen in North Oakland and YOYO Panda in Allison Park. Work began on the spot last spring, and onership says it intends to open very soon, with a soft opening date to be announced shortly.

Work progresses on YangGuoFu Mala Tang in Squirrel Hill.

Permanent signage is up on YangGuoFu Mala Tang in Squirrel Hill, where work has been underway since late fall on the new Chinese chain with locations in California, New York, and elsewhere in the US.

Indulge in the perfect blend of fresh ingredients and bold flavors, combined to create a dining experience that transcends the ordinary. Our Mala Tang offerings are carefully crafted for those seeking a healthy yet delicious meal option.

It will be located at 5870 Forbes Ave. (map) in what was most recently Evelyn James Interiors. It was initially eyeing openings in January and March.

Eastern Passage 东方之旅 soft opens downtown.

Eastern Passage 东方之旅---a retail store specializing in Asian apparel, artisan crafts, and cultural souvenirs---soft opened in downtown Pittsburgh last week, part of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's Project Pop-up. Some context, from the Pittsburgh Chinese Culture Center's newsletter:

Coming soon to downtown Pittsburgh! Eastern Passage 东方之旅 – a retail store specializing in Asian apparel, artisan crafts, and cultural souvenirs is scheduled to open in April 2026. Located in the historic Park Building at 355 Fifth Avenue, the store is part of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Project Pop-Up that will turn a vacant storefront into a vibrant cultural destination. We are particularly interested in promoting artworks and crafts by local artisans. Contact us for more information at easternpassagepgh@gmail.com.

匹兹堡市中心即将迎来新店开业！ 东方之旅 (Eastern Passage) 是一家专注于亚洲服饰、手工艺品及文化纪念品的零售店，将于 2026 年 4 月下旬开业。 该店坐落于第五大道355 号的历史性建筑Park Building，作为匹兹堡市中心伙伴关系 (Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership) “快闪项目” (Project Pop-Up) 的一部分，我们将把原本闲置的店面转变为充满活力的文化地标。 我们尤其注重推广本地艺术家和与手工艺人的作品。 欲了解更多详情，请联系我们：easternpassagepgh@gmail.com 。

Carnegie Mellon offering online instructor-guided beginner level Chinese courses for $150 this summer.

Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics is offering online instructor-guided beginner level Chinese courses for $150 this summer. (It also offers these courses at that price during other terms throughout the year, and in other languages like Arabic, French, and Spanish.)

Beginning Chinese 1 is an introductory Mandarin Chinese course for independent learners. The course aims to help beginners develop competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as Chinese culture. Learners start with a unit on pinyin, including how to produce the different Chinese tones in speech and how to represent them in written letters. Each of the following units is centered around an authentic video in Chinese. Students interact with the audio elements of the videos and are encouraged to explore the traditional and/or simplified character representations throughout the course. 

Registration is now open and classes begin May 11.

Dozens of "teen time" events at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branches for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has planned lots of "teen time" creativity events for many of its branches for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in May 2026, featuring programs on Japanese book binding, shadow puppets, ceramics, Korean schoolyard games, and paper folding.

2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍) in Pittsburgh, from May 15.

The 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon---starring Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, and Zhang Ziyi---will play in Pittsburgh from May 15.

In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level.

It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, and tickets are available online.

Free guided tour of Peregrination: Xiaojing Yan at Contemporary Craft, May 2, for exhibition's final day.

Contemporary Craft will host a free guided tour of Peregrination: Xiaojing Yan on May 2, the exhibition's last day.

Peregrination: Xiaojing Yan 闫晓静

Peregrination, a long and meandering journey…

Xiaojing Yan explores migration, cultural hybridity, and the connection between identity and nature. Born in China and now based in Toronto, she draws from ancient Chinese folklore and rituals, reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens. Her work transforms traditional narrative into personal symbols, weaving together heritage, memory, and her own ideation of nature. Natural motifs serve as metaphors for movement and transformation, reflecting the fluid passage between cultures and histories. Yan’s work becomes a meditation on belonging, creating a landscape uniquely her own. In this act of peregrination, she invites viewers to reflect on the universal and spiritual search within an ever-shifting cultural world.

The tour runs from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, and free tickets are available online. Contemporary Craft is located at 5645 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill, coming soon to McCandless for 1,009 days.

Signage first went up for Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill in McCandless Crossing on July 15, 2023, and though some progress has been made on the interior, it shows no signs of opening in the foreseeable future. Emails and messages to restaurant management have gone unanswered over the years, while shopping center management has dismissively reiterated they will post about updates when they have them. It occupies a building shared with Midwest Shooting Center across from LaRoche University (map).

A big Pittsburgh restaurant trend in 2023 and 2024 was planning, and sometimes opening, all-you-can-eat Korean-style BBQ and hot pot places. Several places did ultimately open, like Hong BBQ on McKnight Road, a second Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill in Robinson (which has since become the first), among a couple others, while Korean BBQ in Oakland was famously delayed and the Kpot in Squirrel Hill ultimately pulled the plug in 2025 after two years of inactivity.

Reading & Conversation: M Lin "The Memory Museum" (with Robert Yune), May 16 at White Whale Bookstore.

White Whale Bookstore will present Reading & Conversation: M Lin "The Memory Museum" (with Robert Yune) on May 16.

It is our joy and honor at White Whale to celebrate debut authors! We are thrilled to welcome M Lin to White Whale to celebrate her debut, The Memory Museum, an expansive, unforgettable short story collection centering the lives and experiences of Chinese millennial women. Her story “Shangri-La” is set in Pittsburgh! M Lin will be joined in conversation by Robert Yune. 

“An astounding talent with an unforgettable voice. The Memory Museum is a book for the ages.”—R. O. Kwon, author of Exhibit

Stretching from the present to the future, from China to America and beyond, M Lin’s piercing debut collection depicts characters finding beauty amidst the disorientation of migration, the contradictions of living between cultures, the perverse realities of race and class, and the delicate dance between survival and resistance. In “Scenes from Childhood,” an elderly woman in a dystopian reality is visited by forgotten memories of her grandfather’s village. In “Magic, or Something Less Assuring,” a fraying couple goes on a divorce honeymoon in Morocco to surprising results. “You Won’t Read This in the News” imagines four migrant workers and petty thieves who forge an unshakable connection across one desperate night. A filmmaker thwarted by censorship untangles her fraught relationship to motherhood and artmaking in “Tough Egg.” And in a newly instated Memory Museum generations into the future, two sensory architects weave a moving tapestry of love and radical hope. Brimming with joy, insight, and emotional power, The Memory Museum unveils M Lin as an irresistible new talent with fearless political and stylistic imagination.

The event runs from 7 to 8:00 pm both in-store and online; both options require registration. The bookstore is located at 4754 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield (map).

American Chinese restaurant Dragon City to soft open in Bellevue April 14.

American Chinese restaurant Dragon City is soft opening in Bellevue on April 14. It will be located at 503 Lincoln Ave. (map), what was previously the home of Dragon Town. From its "coming soon" announcement last month:

Hello, Bellevue! 👋
​The secret is officially out! We are thrilled to join the neighborhood and bring a fresh spark to the local food scene. Dragon City is officially on the way to 503 Lincoln Ave! 🐉✨
​We are currently hard at work perfecting our menu and getting the kitchen fired up to bring you the best American Chinese comfort food in town. 🥡🧧🐎
​📅 Current Goal: Opening in the beginning of April
Will be Available on Grubhub, Doordash, Ubereats, Ezcater 饭团外卖Fantuan, 熊猫外卖HungryPanda

Shoku Next Door soft opens in Cranberry.

Shoku Next Door has soft opened in Cranberry Mall, after work began last autumn.

We’re your new neighborhood spot for quality sushi and casual dining. Grab a quick take-out on busy days or relax and dine in with friends — always delicious, always welcoming. Stop by and discover your next favorite sushi place, right next door!

It has a menu featuring sushi, hibachi and ramen, and is located in space 103 of Cranberry Mall (map).

2026 Chinese movie Pegasus 3 (飞驰人生3) remains in Pittsburgh through March 31.

The 2026 Chinese movie Pegasus 3 (飞驰人生3), which opened in Pittsburgh on February 27, will remain here through at least March 31. It is the highest-grossing film in China in 2026 thus far, and is the 10th-highest-grossing film in China of all time.

After the final stage at Bayanbulak, Zhang Chi (played by Shen Teng) is invited to compete in a brand-new event, the “Muchen 100 Rally,” as the head coach of the team. The once “wild” racer now steps onto the international stage. Facing a completely new course filled with top-tier competitors, Sun Yuqiang (played by Yin Zheng) and Ji Xing (played by Zhang Benyu) once again fight side by side with Zhang Chi. Powerful drivers such as Lin Zhendong (played by Huang Jingyu) are also invited to join, and a team built on top-level speed and shared belief is formed. However, Zhang Chi soon realizes that the true challenge does not seem to come from the race itself. Beneath the surface, tensions are rising beyond the track, casting uncertainty over their high-speed journey ahead.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

Eastern Passage 东方之旅 coming to downtown Pittsburgh in April as part of Project Pop-Up.

According to the Pittsburgh Chinese Culture Center's newsletter, a retail store called Eastern Passage 东方之旅 is coming to the Park Building downtown (map), part of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's Project Pop-up.

Coming soon to downtown Pittsburgh! Eastern Passage 东方之旅 – a retail store specializing in Asian apparel, artisan crafts, and cultural souvenirs is scheduled to open in April 2026. Located in the historic Park Building at 355 Fifth Avenue, the store is part of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Project Pop-Up that will turn a vacant storefront into a vibrant cultural destination. We are particularly interested in promoting artworks and crafts by local artisans. Contact us for more information at [redacted].

匹兹堡市中心即将迎来新店开业！ 东方之旅 (Eastern Passage) 是一家专注于亚洲服饰、手工艺品及文化纪念品的零售店，将于 2026 年 4 月下旬开业。 该店坐落于第五大道355 号的历史性建筑Park Building，作为匹兹堡市中心伙伴关系 (Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership) “快闪项目” (Project Pop-Up) 的一部分，我们将把原本闲置的店面转变为充满活力的文化地标。 我们尤其注重推广本地艺术家和与手工艺人的作品。 欲了解更多详情，请联系我们：[redacted] 。

The email address listed in the newsletter has a typo and is invalid, hence my redaction. Project Pop Up

brings vibrancy and innovation to Downtown Pittsburgh by activating vacant storefronts with temporary retail pop-ups, interior window displays, and artistic window graphics. In collaboration with Downtown property owners—and with generous support from the Hillman Foundation—the program invites entrepreneurs, artists, makers, retailers, and creative teams to transform empty storefronts into engaging destinations.

This initiative supports Downtown’s economic revitalization by providing low-barrier opportunities for creative retail, art, and cultural activations that contribute to a more dynamic and welcoming streetlevel experience.

2026 Chinese movie Pegasus 3 (飞驰人生3) remains in Pittsburgh through March 25.

The 2026 Chinese movie Pegasus 3 (飞驰人生3), which opened in Pittsburgh on February 27, will remain here through at least March 25. It is the highest-grossing film in China in 2026 thus far, and is the 11th-highest-grossing film in China of all time.

After the final stage at Bayanbulak, Zhang Chi (played by Shen Teng) is invited to compete in a brand-new event, the “Muchen 100 Rally,” as the head coach of the team. The once “wild” racer now steps onto the international stage. Facing a completely new course filled with top-tier competitors, Sun Yuqiang (played by Yin Zheng) and Ji Xing (played by Zhang Benyu) once again fight side by side with Zhang Chi. Powerful drivers such as Lin Zhendong (played by Huang Jingyu) are also invited to join, and a team built on top-level speed and shared belief is formed. However, Zhang Chi soon realizes that the true challenge does not seem to come from the race itself. Beneath the surface, tensions are rising beyond the track, casting uncertainty over their high-speed journey ahead.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

Self-Chef Mongolian Stir-Fry and Sushi to open in Castle Shannon on March 18 now open in Castle Shannon.

Self-Chef Mongolian Stir-Fry and Sushi will open in Castle Shannon on March 18 is now open in Castle Shannon, in the former Linden Grove spot. Signage went up in the fall at 1100 Grove Road (map).

The menu, posted on their official site, features primarily sushi, sashimi, rolls, and Japanese appetizers and desserts at this point:  

Work progresses on second KuJiRa location in Bridgeville, after briefly taking "Nami" name.

Work progresses on a second KuJiRa restaurant, coming soon to Chartiers Valley Shopping Center in Bridgeville. KuJiRa is an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Shadyside.

This was first teased in an October 2025 social media post by Legacy Realty, but when I visited the spot in December signage was up for Nami Japanese Kitchen & Bar. However, maybe the Nami signage was a ruse to keep the location partially hidden until more permanent signage could go up; the banner features a whale--kujira is Japanese for whale--and the same font as the temporary Kujira signage from 2023.

A huge local restaurant trend in 2023 and 2024 was planning---and sometimes opening---all-you-can-eat hotpot and Korean-style BBQ places, while a trend for 2025 was opening all-you-can-eat sushi places: 8 Star in Gibsonia, Let's Sushi in Wexford, and Koi Steakhouse and Sushi Bar in Monroeville opened over the past year, and Oyoshi in East Liberty is still under construction. KuJiRa will be located in the former Vocelli's Pizza (map).

Chinese Culture Summer Camp with Yanlai Dance Academy, August 3 - 7 and August 17 - 21.

Yanlai Dance Academy in the North Hills will host two sessions of Chinese Culture Summer Camp for kids ages 5 - 11. One session will span from August 3 through 7, another from August 17 through 21, and both run 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The camps "include Chinese folk dance, paper crafts, art and more!"

Those interested in registering should contact PACCL.edu at gmail.com. Yanlai Dance Academy is a dance school in the North Hills that has long specialized in traditional and contemporary Chinese dances for all ages, as well hosting as Kpop sessions and adult dance troupes. It is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd. (map).