Secret Speakeasy: Qixi Festival in Pittsburgh, August 7.

The Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans and Secret Speakeasy will host a Qixi Festival on August 7.

Legend tells of a love story between the weaver girl, Zhinu (the star of Vega) and the cowherd, Niulang (the star of Altair). Their love was forbidden and they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (the Milky Way). Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies forms a bridge to reunite these star crossed lovers for just one day...

On this day we celebrate the Qixi Festival, or the Double Seventh Festival: Chinese Valentine's Day:

The evening will recreate a romantic Qixi Festival indoors - filled with close-up magic and readings, craft stations from renowned experts such as Chinese calligraphy and Chinese knot art, performances of silk and iron fan dance, performances from a world master of the pipa - the Chinese lute - who studied with Yo Yo Ma, immersive art installations, and more.

Seoul's Cafeteria Pittsburgh.

via naraeng2g.

Earlier this year a cafe called Cafeteria Pittsburgh opened in Seoul's Jongno-gu, in the basement of the Gran Seoul building that opened in 2014. Judging by a few blog entries that have photographed it (here and here), it's local in name only and specializes in coffees, juices, and bakery items. The address is 서울 종로구 종로 33 그랑서울 지하1층 (우)03159 (map).

Mongolian heavy metal band The Hu in Pittsburgh, November 18.

Mongolian heavy metal band The Hu will play at Mr. Smalls on November 18. From the band's official site:

The HU is a band from Mongolia that blends heavy metal and traditional Mongolian throat singing. Their first two videos (“Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem”) immediately went viral garnering the band over 18 million views. The explosive reaction to The HU resulted in a number of features about the band in international media such as NPR, ET India Times, Playboy Mexico, Jack Canal+Fr, Hong Kong 01, DW News Germany and others.

The band’s name The HU, is the Mongolian root word for human being. They call their style “Hunnu Rock”…inspired by the Hunnu, an ancient Mongolian empire, known as The Huns in western culture. Some of the band’s lyrics include old Mongolian war cries and poetry.

McKeesport-based Trillium Flow Technologies hiring bilingual Mandarin-English International Projects Administrator.

McKeesport-based Trillium Flow Technologies is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English International Projects Administrator. The company was known as Weir Group through June 30, and was hiring for the same position last month.

Ideal candidate will have the following:

• Fluency in both Chinese Mandarin and English Languages.
• Experience in communicating technically with international customers, primarily Chinese.
• Previous experience in the commercial nuclear power industry, ideally in a third tier supplier environment.
• Present a professional demeanor which will reflect positively on Hiller and our company image.
• Objectives & Measurement - Key Responsibilities

Essential/Critical Functions (not prioritized):

• Establish project documentation and correspondence system, based upon engineering department practices and requirements.
• Assist engineering team in logging and tracking project correspondence
• Assist engineering team to assure timely response to technical queries and deviation requests.
• Assist engineering team to take and distribute minutes from customer and project meetings with international customer
• Provide translation services for critical documents
• Coordinate international (primarily Chinese) meetings both remotely and on-site
• Support direct customer visits for both active and future opportunities, with translation and administrative support.

2019 Japanese movie Kingdom (キングダム) in Pittsburgh from August 16.

Tickets recently on sale for the 2019 Japanese movie Kingdom (キングダム), a live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga that will play in Pittsburgh from August 16 through 21.

Orphaned by war, a young boy and his friend dream of changing their fate and becoming the world’s greatest generals. And after his friend sacrifices himself to protect
the future emperor, the young boy’s path to greatness is set in motion.

Helping the King reclaim the throne puts the boy’s blade to the ultimate test as they go against deadly assassins, large armies, and the dangerous mountain clan.

In a country torn apart by war, only they can fight to unite the warring states!

Released in Japan on April 19, it's the second highest-grossing domestic movie of the year there. The movie 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.

2019 move Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか in Pittsburgh, July 23.

Tickets were just announced for Pittsburgh screenings of the 2019 movie Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか, based on the manga and anime series. The distributor provides a synopsis:

Far from the dungeon beneath Oraria rises a new threat, one the beautiful goddess Artemis has sworn to destroy with the help of her chosen warrior. But this fighter isn’t the renowned Ais Wallenstein or another stor ied hero of Orario legend. Instead the fate of Artemis’ quest falls upon the shoulders of Bell Cranell, who must partner with the goddess and stand against the menace lurking in the remains of a distant, ancient city. Although Bell is the ordained champion of Artemis and a member of the goddess Hestia’s familia, their adventure will test every skill and take every ounce of courage that Bell has — and perhaps, along the way, turn him into the hero he has always aspired to be.

The movie is in Japanese with English subtitles, and will play at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark theater in Robinson. Tickets are available online.

Kimchi potato chips are here.

Kimchi Lays potato chips just turned up at Squirrel Hill's Panda Supermarket. They're among the more interesting flavors offered by Lays China; other locally-available varieties include Wasabi, Lime, Cucumber, Roasted Chicken Wing, and Texas Grilled BBQ Flavor, among others.

The Farewell, starring Awkwafina and Tzi Ma, in Pittsburgh on July 24 and from August 2 through August 8.

Tickets went on sale today for Pittsburgh screenings of The Farewell, which opens nationwide today.

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 will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront on July 24 and at the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill from August 2 through 8. Tickets are available online.

Pad Thai Noodle coming to N. Craig St. in Oakland.

Pad Thai Noodle will open a location at 256 N. Craig St. in Oakland (map), in the spot most recently occupied by Tan Lac Vien Express. Tan Lac Vien Express announced its closure on July 3 after four years in business; two other Vietnamese restaurants were previously in the spot.

GlobalPittsburgh happy hour with visitors from South Korea and China, August 1.

The next GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays happy hour on August 1 will welcome visiting English teachers from Korea National University of Education and students from China.

The 43 teachers of English from the Korea National University of Education will participate in the Intensive English Teacher Training Program, a 4-week program that is run through the English Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. The 28 students from China are coming for an experiential summer camp organized by Chatham University.

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!

The happy hour runs from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Roland's Seafood Grill in the Strip District (map). Tickets are required and prices range from free to $10.