Lunar New Year Celebration, January 19 at Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh will hold its annual Lunar New Year Celebration on January 19.

In ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on the Lunar New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one.

Come kick off the Lunar year 4718, the Year of the Rat, at MuseumLab!

Activities include:

• Live performances by:
• Yan Lai Dance Academy
• Purple Bamboo Chinese Ensemble
• Steel Dragon Lion Dance Team
• Discover WongFace, an augmented reality mural by artist Jordan Wong in Tech Lab
• Chinese calligraphy with Ming Rui
• Learn about Korean traditions and games with the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center
• Vietnamese Five Fruit Tray tradition - Taste some of our favorite fruits!

Performance Schedule Coming Soon!!

The celebration is free with museum admission ($16 for adults, $14 for kids aged 2 through 18, and free for infants under 2). The museum is located at 10 Children's Way on the Northside (map), though the celebration will be in a newer adjoining space called MuseumLab.

Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) at Row House Cinema, January 31 - February 6.

The acclaimed 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충), will play at the Row House Cinema from January 31 through February 6. From the movie's official site.

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

These showings are part of Oscar Prep Week and tickets and showtime information will come soon. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

GlobalPittsburgh happy hour with visitors from South Korea, February 6.

The next GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays happy hour on February 6 will welcome visiting English teachers from Korea National University of Education, who are studying at Pitt's English Language Institute.

Join us for an informal evening with globally-minded friends and visiting teachers from the Korea National University of Education who will be coming here for training at the English Language Institute, University of Pittsburgh. Meet people from around the world, practice your language skills and citizen diplomacy! Kids welcome!

The happy hour runs from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Roland's Seafood Grill in the Strip District (map). Tickets are required, though the link to purchase does not currently work.

My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ヒーローズ:ライジング) in Pittsburgh, February 26.

While tickets for the 2019 animated movie My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ヒーローズ:ライジング) will not go on sale until the end of this month, the Southside Works Cinema recently announced it will show the film in Pittsburgh on February 26. From the distributor:

Class 1-A visits Nabu Island where they finally get to do real hero work. The place is so peaceful that it’s more like a vacation … until they’re attacked by a villain with an eerily familiar Quirk! Now, Deku and his friends are the island’s only hope.

Tickets and showtime information is not yet available.

Chinese Language & Culture Club Meeting, Mondays at Pitt from January 13.

Chinese Dim Sum, by Lezlie (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's Chinese Language & Culture Club Meeting will meet this term on Mondays from January 13. The meetings are open to the Pitt student community, and located in the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall (map).

Tzu Chi Chinese New Year Blessing Ceremony, January 12 at Pitt.

The Tzu Chi Academy, along with the University of Pittsburgh Chinese Heritage Room Committee, will hold a Chinese New Year Blessing Ceremony and festival on January 12 at Pitt. The event starts at 2:30 pm in the ALumni Hall ballroom (map).

2020 Pittsburgh Chinese New Year Gala, January 18 in Wexford.

The Chinese Association for Science and Technology - Pittsburgh Chapter (CAST-P) and Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center (PCCC), among others, will host the 2020 Pittsburgh Chinese New Year Gala on January 18 at North Allegheny Senior High School.

Sushi Kim 2 Go coming to N. Craig St. in Oakland.

Earlier this month we read that Sushi Kim is closing in the Strip District after 30 years in business, but there plans to open a smaller restaurant in Oakland. That restaurant, Sushi Kim 2 Go, will be located at 312 N. Craig St. (map), in a spot that has been empty for a number of years. The building is owned by a Korean family that operates the dry cleaning business next door.

Documentary Nailed It!, about Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American nail salons throughout the US, at Pitt on February 1.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 2019 documentary Nailed It! on February 1 as part of an Exploring the Asian Diaspora series. From the official site:

In virtually every city, state and strip mall across the U.S., women get their nails done in salons likely owned by Vietnamese entrepreneurs. How did this community come to dominate an $8 billion dollar nail economy? Nailed It takes viewers from Los Angeles to the Bronx to meet the diverse people and relationships behind this booming and enigmatic trade. Nailed It premiered on PBS in May 2019, and is the highest streamed film of the America Reframed series. Uncover the real history of the Vietnamese nail salon!

It runs from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map). Those who wish to attend must register via this link.

Pitt hiring Visiting Lecturer for Japanese Literature and Culture Program for 2020-2021 academic year.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring a Visiting Lecturer in Japanese for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures of the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for the position of Visiting Lecturer for its Japanese Literature and Culture Program, pending budgetary approval. The appointment will begin on September 1, 2020 and end on April 30, 2021. The successful candidate must hold a PhD by the time of appointment and possess broad competence in teaching Japanese studies courses in literature, popular culture, performance, theater, translation studies, or media and film. The successful candidate will teach six undergraduate courses per year, five courses from the aforementioned areas and one course in her/his area of expertise. The candidate should have experience teaching Japan studies courses at a North American institution. Other duties may include mentoring students, normal service duties in the Department, and working with other Asia specialists in the Department and on campus.