"Why BTS? Why K-pop? Global Success and UK Reception," October 24 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center presents Dr. Haekyung Um and her talk "Why BTS? Why K-pop? Global Success and UK Reception" on October 24.

The international breakthrough of BTS is marked by their success in the USA and their albums, Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer, in May and September respectively. Their EP Mal of the Soul: Persona, released in April 2019, also topped both the UK Official Chart and teh US Billboard 200 Chart. The global, US, and UK reception of BTS in the past few years, has shed a light on how K-op has been evolving and how Asian pop music genres have been received by both the mainstream music industry and consumers in the west. This process has been taking place in the context of a fast-changing ecology of the creative industries, shaped by digital technology and social media, which in turn mobilize and above all, empower the fandom and audiences engaged in this music form.

The talk starts at 5:00 pm in 232 Cathedral of Learning (map) and is free and open to the public.

2020人口普查 - 自己的認同自己報, November 3 in Squirrel Hill.

Cafe Philo @ Pittsburgh will host an information session in Squirrel Hill ahead of the 2020 census: 2020人口普查 - 自己的認同自己報.. The Mandarin-language session will inform attendees how to complete the census form and address confusion some Taiwanese may have about the "Pacific Islander" designation.

【 2020人口普查-自己的認同自己報
Census 2020 - Be Counted! 】

美國人口普查是什麼？
我只是來念書而已，我需要填嗎？
人口普查的資料跟我有什麼關係？
為什麼要填我是台灣人？

沒有台灣這一格...
那台灣是個太平洋中的小島，
所以我是太平洋島民Pacific Islander沒錯吧？(不是!!)

Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) in Pittsburgh, October 27, 28, and 30.

The 2001 Hayao Miyazaki film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) will play in Pittsburgh on October 27, 28, and 30 as part of this year's GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest.

Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature, Hayao Miyazaki’s wondrous fantasy adventure is a dazzling masterpiece from one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation.

Chihiro’s family is moving to a new house, but when they stop on the way to explore an abandoned village, her parents undergo a mysterious transformation and Chihiro is whisked into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. Put to work in a magical bathhouse for spirits and demons, Chihiro must use all her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents and return to the normal world. Overflowing with imaginative creatures and thrilling storytelling, Spirited Away became a worldwide smash hit, and is one of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, Robinson, and Pittsburgh Mills. Tickets are available online. The October 28 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles while the October 27 and 30 shows are dubbed in English.

Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) at Pitt, November 1.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 2000 Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) on November 1. From the distributor:

The extraordinary, internationally embraced Yi Yi (A One and a Two . . .), directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century.

It will play in 3911 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

1988 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) in Pittsburgh, December 5.

As part of the 40th anniversary celebration for the Gundam franchise, the 1988 movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) will return to theaters on December 5. From the distributor:

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Gundam franchise when Char's Counterattack returns to theatres!

Amuro and Char, two best mobile suit (robotic weapons) pilots who fought together against Titans after the Jion's independency war, must face each other in a fateful duel where the Neo-Jion, led by Char, attempts to drop a gigantic meteor and its nuclear weapons to Earth in order to cause Nuclear Winter to wipe out the Earth inhabitants.

Gundam fans won’t want to miss out on this exclusive one-night-only event, featuring a special interview with franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino!

It will play locally, in Japanese with English subtitles, at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Robinson, and Pittsburgh Mills. Tickets are available online.

"Authentic Chinese Cuisine at Home" culinary arts classes with Itha Cao of The Hungry Cao, three Saturdays at Phipps from October 26.

via @thehungrycao

Itha Cao of The Hungry Cao will host a series of three culinary arts classes on "Authentic Chinese Cuisine at Home," Saturdays at Phipps Conservatory from October 26.

Join Itha Cao in exploring flavors, dishes and traditions native to Chinese cuisine. Learn a variety of techniques for stir fry, dumplings and more.

Oct. 26: Cooking Fearlessly with Tofu: Learn the different forms that tofu comes in - dried, marinated, block, fried, and frozen - and cook delicious, flavorful vegan salads to stir fries.

Nov. 9: Healing Noodle Soups & Stews: Learn how to cook wheat and glass noodles in vegan and bone broths with seasonal vegetables - perfect for a cold day!

Nov. 23: Chinese Dumplings: Learn how to mince, fold, boil, and fry dumplings from start to finish, including pork and napa cabbage and zucchini and egg varieties.

The cost for the set of three is $140 for Phipps members and $160 for non-members---each individual class is $50 and $55, respectively---and each session runs from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Space is limited and registration can be completed online. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located at 1 Schenley Drive in Oakland (map).

Crazy Rich Asians at CMU, October 24.

The Chinese Studies program at Carnegie Mellon University will present the movie Crazy Rich Asians on Thursday, October 24, as part of the Modern Language Resource Center's Film Series. The distributor writes:

"Crazy Rich Asians” follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.​

It starts at 7:00 pm in 225C Porter Hall (map).

Vanity license plate seen in Highland Park.

Bunkasai festival with Pitt's Japanese Student Association, October 26.

The University of Pittsburgh's Japanese Student Association will hold its annual Bunkasai cultural festival on October 26.

JSA will be hosting our biggest event of the year, the Culture Festival, on Saturday October 26th in WPU Assembly Room ✨🎊

Stop by with your friends to enjoy free food* 😋, performances by fellow students 💃, and more❣️

Attractions that open at 11AM: Super Smash bros, kendama, henna, Japanese language practice, fortune telling, and more!

Performances start at 1PM: First Class Bhangra and Pitt FRESA will be performing there along with some other fellow students, so be sure to come out and support them! 🤗

Hope to see you all there 🥳

*You can get access to free food once you visit our various booths with the attractions mentioned above!

Pittsburgh Magazine: "The Fight to Recognize Pittsburgh’s Lost Chinatown."

The November 2019 issue of Pittsburgh Magazine takes a look at the fight to recognize Pittsburgh's former Chinatown as a historically-significant neighborhood.

“Unlike any other immigrant group that came through Pittsburgh, with the Chinese, you can’t find anything — unless you go digging for it — to show that they really were here,” says Marian Mei-Ling Lien, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), one of the oldest Asian-American and Pacific Islander advocacy groups.

Lien wants people to know something about Pittsburgh’s Chinatown and early Chinese population. The Pittsburgh chapter is applying — for the fourth time — to earn a state historical marker for Pittsburgh’s Chinatown from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Read more online or in the November 2019 issue.