Shortstop Jung-ho Kang arrives at Spring Training.

Via Newsen (1, 2).

Newly-signed shortstop Jung-ho Kang (강정호) has arrived at Pirates Spring Training, and the Korean media is watching closely.

New Chinese movie Somewhere Only We Know (有一个地方只有我们知道) at Waterfront, from February 13.

The 2015 Chinese romantic comedy Somewhere Only We Know (有一个地方只有我们知道) will play at AMC Loews Waterfront from tomorrow, February 13. A quick synopsis:

The film tells a story of a girl named Jin Tian, who goes to Prague after her boyfriend breaks the engagement. Then a man named Peng Zeyang appears in her life and a love story begins.

Pittsburgh is one of 28 North American cities to get the film on its US debut. Showtimes through February 19 are currently available online; Friday's show will play at 11:05 am, 1:45 pm, 4:25 pm, 7:05 pm, and 9:45 pm. The theater is located at the Waterfront shopping center in Homestead (map).

Korean Lunar New Year Conversation Club Event at Pitt, February 17.

From the latest Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh newsletter:

Daehwa Korean Conversation club’s first event! Come experience the Korean Lunar New Year with other Korean language learners and enjoy games and food! Daehwa’s goal is to help Korean language learners or students interested in Korean to practice their conversational skills while learning about Korean culture in a fun and casual environment. All students and faculty are welcome, whether or not you are learning Korean! Please join us to celebrate the Korean Lunar New Year!

The event runs from 12:30 to 2:30 pm on February 17 in room 4130 Posvar Hall (campus map).

Chinese-language presentation “Assessing the Quality of China’s Rural Health Care” ("中国农村医疗质量评估") at Pitt, February 18.

The University of Pittsburgh will host Dr. Yaojiang Shi of Shaanxi Normal University on February 18 for a talk titled “Assessing the Quality of China’s Rural Health Care". The presentaton begins at 1:00 pm in 3600 Posvar Hall (campus map) and is in Chinese. Those interested in attending are requested to RSVP to asia [at] pitt.edu.

"Pirate Cosmopolitanism: P2P, Fansubbing, and Alternative Cultural Flow in China" at Pitt, February 13.

Dr. Jinying Li, of the University of Pittsburgh's Film Studies program, will present "Pirate Cosmopolitanism: P2P, Fansubbing, and Alternative Cultural Flow in China" on Friday, February 13. The abstract, via the Pitt Asian Studies Center:

In China, where the world's largest population is quickly getting wired, fansubbing—dubbed "zimuzu" in Chinese—has flourished among a burgeoning digital generation who is active in consuming a large amount of foreign media contents, mostly Hollywood movies and TV series, which are widely available on cyberspace in the form of free digital fansubs that are translated and distributed by fellow fans. This alternative, bottom-up cultural flow between Hollywood and China is rapidly gaining momentum in a media market that is subjected to both extensive information control by the state and suppressive IP enforcement by multinational corporations. This talk will address the political meanings of an imagined cosmopolitan community that is created through the self-organized communication platforms of fansubbing and p2p file sharing of media contents, and examine the changing power relations between global Hollywood, the Chinese state, and a new generation of consumers in the digital age.

The talk will begin at 4:00 pm in 4217 Posvar Hall (campus map), and is free and open to the public.

Valentine's Day in Japan Chocolate Making Social in Shadyside, February 13.

Kenmawr Apartments in Shadyside and the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will host "Valentine's Day in Japan Chocolate Making Social" on Friday, February 13. The apartment complex at 401 Shady Ave. (map) has a large number of Japanese residents who work and study in the city, and often hosts cultural events for its international residents. Friday's event runs from 4 to 6 pm.

New Chinese movie Somewhere Only We Know (有一个地方只有我们知道) at Waterfront, from February 13.

The 2015 Chinese romantic comedy Somewhere Only We Know (有一个地方只有我们知道) will play at AMC Loews Waterfront from February 13, according to the University of Pittsburgh's East Asian Languages and Literatures. A quick synopsis:

The film tells a story of a girl named Jin Tian, who goes to Prague after her boyfriend breaks the engagement. Then a man named Peng Zeyang appears in her life and a love story begins.

Pittsburgh is one of 28 North American cities to get the film on its US debut. Showtimes and further information have not yet been released. The theater is located at the Waterfront shopping center in Homestead (map).

Chinese New Year event for kids at Mt. Lebanon Public Library, February 15.

The Mt. Lebanon Public Library (map) will hold a Chinese New Year event for children ages 3 and up on Sunday, February 15, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.

Help bring in the Year of the Sheep today with stories, songs, snacks and fun!

Those with questions can contact the Children's Library at childrenslibrary [at] einetwork.net or 412-531-1912.

Documentary Lessons in Dissent (未夠秤) and discussion with director at Pitt, February 11.

The Asian Studies Center newsletter tells us the 2014 documentary Lessons in Dissent (未夠秤) will be shown at the University of Pittsburgh on February 11, and will feature a discussion with director Matthew Torne.

A synopsis, from the film's official website:
Filmed over 18 months, Lessons in Dissent is a kaleidoscopic, visceral portrait of a new generation of Hong Kong democracy activists.

School boy JOSHUA WONG dedicates himself to stopping the introduction of National Education. His campaign begins to snowball when an interview goes viral on YouTube, with the new school year fast approaching, a showdown with the government seems inevitable. Microphone in hand, and still in his school uniform, he leads 120,000 protesters into battle.

Meanwhile, former classmate Ma Jai fights against political oppression on the streets and in the courts. Having dropped out of school and dedicated himself to the social movement, he endures the persecution suffered by those not lucky enough to be protected by the media’s glare.

Lessons in Dissent catapults the viewer on to the streets of Hong Kong and into the heart of the action: confronting the viewer with Hong Kong’s oppressive heat, stifling humidity and air thick with dissent.

The event runs from 6:00 to 9:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (campus map).

"Modern Times in North Korea: Scenes from the Founding Years" at Pitt, February 13.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Suzy Kim of Rutgers University and her talk "Modern Times in North Korea: Scenes from the Founding Years" at the University of Pittsburgh on February 13, the first in the center's Worlding Korea series. The synopsis:

North Korea is often portrayed in mainstream media as a backward place, a Stalinist relic without a history worth knowing. But during its founding years (1945-1950), North Korea experienced a radical social revolution when everyday life became the primary site of political struggle, including quite deliberately a feminist agenda. With historical comparisons to revolutions in the early 20th century, Suzy Kim introduces her book through rarely seen archival photos, situating the North Korean revolution within the broader history of modernity.

It will be held in 4130 Posvar Hall (campus map) from 3:00, and is free and open to the public.