League of Gods (封神传奇) in Pittsburgh, from July 28.

The 2016 movie League of Gods (封神传奇) will play at AMC Loews Waterfront from July 28. It's an adaptation of the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods (封神演義), and is described by American outlets as a "Chinese X-Men". The distributor provides a summary of the film starring Jet Li, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, and Louis Koo:

A long time ago, a determined King Zhou, supported by his concubine Daji, sets his mind on conquering the Middle Kingdom. After years of slaughter, the unyielding Adept tribes have been eliminated in succession. Jiang and General Ji from Qishan are King Zhou’s longstanding opponents. Under a divinatory sign, Jiang discovers that the Sword of Light can reverse the adversity.

There are 2D and 3D showings scheduled. Tickets and showtimes are available at the AMC Loews Waterfront website. 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.

Panda Express coming to Cranberry, West Mifflin.

Panda Express, a chain of drive-thru fast-casual Chinese restaurants, is opening its first locations in western Pennsylvania. Stores are scheduled to open in Cranberry (in the Cranberry Mall) and West Mifflin (2070 Lebanon Church Rd.), as well as in Philadelphia and Camp Hill. In April 2015 there was news of one coming to Monroeville, but there have been no updates and the company is not currently hiring for that location. Prior to this round of expansion, the only Panda Express in Pennsylvania was on the campus of Penn State.

Japan-inspired T-swirl crêpe chain's Pittsburgh store a couple months away.

via T-swirl crêpe Facebook page.

T-swirl crêpe, a Japanese-inspired crepe chain scheduled to open its first Pittsburgh location at 1714 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map) this month, now anticipates a fall opening, according to the corporate office. T-swirl crêpe has four locations in New York City, one in Philadelphia, and one in California, and has 12 more planned. From the official site:

The story of T-swirl Crepe starts thousands of miles away on the shores of Japan. The Japanese Crepe borrows from a western concept and modernized it into new level of versatility that you can gobble on the go. Building on this new concept, T-swirl started to research and have perfected the 100% gluten free rice flour batter, to craft a crispy thin chewy layer that embraces all the decadent condiments. T-swirl is synonymous with using the finest ingredients to construct a trendy/artistic crepe that arrives to your hand with incredible speed. We have standardized the process to give you a consistently clean and delicious crepe.

Pitt's Department of Neurology hiring part-time Mandarin-English bilingual Project Coordinator for bioethics training program.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Neurology is hiring a 75%-effort Mandarin-English bilingual Project Coordinator. Via the posting on Pittsource.com:

The Department of Neurology continues to advance its mission, capabilities, and reputation for academic, clinical and research activities.

This is a challenging position involving a wide range of duties associated with the project coordination of a federally-funded international educational program that promotes the development of training programs in bioethics in China. It is a minimum half-time position (50%), but could be expanded to a full-time position contingent upon the fit of the candidate’s qualifications with the activities of this project.

The incumbent will be the initial point of contact for all inquiries regarding the educational program. He or she will assist in the development, organization, and conduct of educational events and will be highly involved in developing educational materials, translating materials between English and Mandarin, coordinating the involvement of all individuals associated with the project, and providing support services to program participants, faculty, and speakers in the US and in China.

Qualifications include:

At least one year of part-time or full-time experience working in an administrative position. Must be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Outlook, and searching databases and websites for information. Must be familiar with WeChat and other Chinese communication technologies. Must have developed good interpersonal skills – ability to interact professionally with individuals at all levels. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, in English and Mandarin Chinese.

The position is in support of Chinese Fellows participating in a bioethics training program.

2004 movie Saving Face in Pittsburgh, August 5.

City of Asylum, Reel Q Pittsburgh LGBT Film Festival, and the Silk Screen Film Festival present the 2004 movie Saving Face on August 5. A Film Journal International summary:

[W]riter-director Alice Wu's romantic comedy Saving Face, about two young Chinese-American women who fall in love and suffer the joys and dramas of their unexpected romance, exudes the kind of warmth and intelligence that delivers to well-defined segments of the indie-oriented audience.

The movie runs from 8:00 to 10:00 pm at the Alphabet City Tent at 318 Sampsonia Way on the Northside (map). It is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Bonchon will be two hours away from Pittsburgh.

Korean fried chicken chain Bonchon Chicken is coming to Seven Hills, Ohio. The restaurant in an old Pizza Hut at 7581 Broadhead Rd. (map) will be the closest Bonchon to Pittsburgh---12 miles south of Cleveland and two hours northwest of Pittsburgh---once it opens. There is a location in Philadelphia's Chinatown that opened in February 2015. Pittsburgh's Korean fried chicken place, Chick'n Bubbly, opened in Oakland in August 2014.

Host families needed in Pittsburgh for visiting Yasuda Women's University students from August to January.

GlobalPittsburgh is looking for host families for students from Yasuda Women's University (安田女子大学) who will be attending the University of Pittsburgh English Language Institute from late-August through late-January.

GlobalPittsburgh is searching for homestay hosts for female students from a private University in Hiroshima, Japan.

Here are the details and guidelines:

• The students are all females of 19-20 years old; most of them have "fair" level of English. They will be studying English at the English Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh.
• The monthly compensation for hosting will be $800.
• The dates of the program are between August 30, 2016 and January 29, 2017.
• The student will need a separate bedroom with a bed, dresser or closet, desk (optional), adequate lighting to study, and heat/air.
• The students cannot be placed in the same home with other Japanese students, Japanese natives or male students.
• Host families are requested to include the student in their family meals with an option for the student to pack their lunch.
• The host should be located conveniently on a direct bus line to Oakland with a max of 45 minute commute. Some of the neighborhoods we are looking at include Bloomfield, East Liberty, Friendship, Greenfield, Hazelwood, Highland Park, Lawrenceville, Morningside, Oakland, Point Breeze, Polish Hill, Regent Square, Shadyside, South Side, Squirrel Hill, Stanton Heights, Strip District, Swisshelm Park, and Downtown.
• The students will be attending the University on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and have a decent amount of homework daily. They will be engaged in many activities provided by University and GlobalPittsburgh.

Please encourage your friends, colleagues and family to host! Have them contact me at nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org with questions and for more information.

Westinghouse hiring customer escort for visiting Chinese clients.

Westinghouse is hiring a Customer Escort for visiting Chinese clients from July 18 through August 6.

Customer Escort sought for Westinghouse Headquarters in Cranberry Twp, PA to escort eighteen (18) China Wave 3 customer visitors at our site from July 18 through August 5, 2016. Individual must be able to commit to work within this time frame.

Job Responsibilities:

Perform escort duty during normal business hours

Meet and collect the Chinese customers upon arrivals at and departures from Westinghouse Cranberry facilities

Create and maintain a daily log of Chinese customer meetings, locations visited and activities

Escort the Chinese customers through facility areas and ensure prompt arrivals and departures for meetings and scheduled activities

Kung Fu Series at Row House Cinema in September.

The Row House Cinema recently announced the rest of the lineup for its Kung Fu Cinema series in September: the 1978 Jackie Chan movie Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (蛇形刁手) and the 1972 Bruce Lee movie Way of the Dragon (猛龍過江), in addition to the two King Hu movies announced last month 1967's Dragon Inn (龍門客棧) and 1971's A Touch of Zen (俠女).

Profile of Pennsylvania-based Korean paper artist Sun Young Kang.

Photo by Yong Ho Bae, courtesy of artist's website.

Main Line Today profiles Sun Young Kang, a Korean paper artist formerly of Pittsburgh and currently based in eastern Pennsylvania. Kang's work has appeared in several prominent Pittsburgh exhibitions, including the Pittsburgh Biennial in 2008. Filtered Memories, pictured above, appeared at the Pittsburgh Biennial:

“Eight years after my father’s death, my mother sent me his diaries which he began to write when he was my age. I have reproduced selections from those diaries. He has come back as a memory.”

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at AMC Loews Waterfront, from July 8.

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, following the cellist Ma and a collective of musicians from across the world, will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront from July 8.

Catcher Jin-de Jhang called up to Indianapolis Indians.

Via 張進德 Jin-de Jhang Facebook page.

Catcher Jin-de Jhang (張進德)---a 23-year-old catcher from Taitung, Taiwan---was called up to AAA Indianapolis yesterday after a number of recent injuries led to a shortage at the position. Jhang, who signed with Pittsburgh in 2011, had spent the entirety of 2016 with the Altoona Curve, hitting .290 with 13 RBIs in 31 games as the team's backup catcher.

Former head of Presbyterian Church in Korea, and University of Pittsburgh graduate, Dr. Hyung Tae Kim passes away at 87.

Dr. Hyung Tae Kim (김형태), who was the 72nd head of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, passed away last week at the age of 87. Kim's 1966 dissertation, Relationships Between Personal Characteristics of Korean Students in Pennsylvania and Their Attitudes Toward the Christian Churches in America, has been cited in subsequent works on the Korean Christian diaspora in the United States, and is available online via Proquest.

Sand artist Katsuhiko Chaen at Sand City Spectacular, July 2 - 10 in Oakland.

Via Sand City Spectacular.

From July 2 through July 10, Schenley Plaza will host the Sand City Spectacular in honor of Pittsburgh's bicentennial. Ten sand sculptors will be there, including Katsuhiko Chaen of Kagoshima.

Considered a “star” of this art form, Chaen, a graduate of Musashino Academy of Art in Tokyo, has been sculpting for 29 years and is widely respected worldwide. In Japan, he’s recognized as a visionary organizer producing national and international level competitions in his native land. In 2006, he originated the acclaimed Sand Museum in Tottori, Japan—staged at the majestic Tottori Sand Dunes. The museum is the country’s only open-air museum exhibiting sculptures made entirely of sand. From Japan, Singapore and China to Germany, Italy and Canada, Chaen has sculptured around the world most recently finishing second at the 2015 International Sand Sculpture Competition, Ruse Bulgaria.

More information about the events and the competition is found on the Sand City Spectacular website. Schenley Plaza is located at 4100 Forbes Ave., across from the Cathedral of Learning and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Main Branch in Oakland (map).

Japanese film Our Little Sister (海街diary) in Pittsburgh, August 19 - 25.

The 2015 Japanese film Our Little Sister (海街diary) will play at the Harris Theater from August 19 through 25, it was recently announced. Variety writes in a 2015 review:

Marking the subtle transitions in the lives of three sisters after they take under their wing a teenage half-sibling they never knew, “Our Little Sister” is so meticulously shot and gracefully orchestrated that it can be considered a worthy contempo successor to Kon Ichikawa’s masterpiece “The Makioka Sisters.” Yet, in attempting to evoke an overwhelmingly femme-centric universe for the first time, Hirokazu Kore-eda adopts an approach so serene that his protagonists’ pain as well as their personalities remain largely muffled as they drift soulfully through the seasons. While gently engaging throughout, the pic nonetheless doesn’t reverberate as deeply as the helmer’s 2013 Cannes jury prizewinner, “Like Father, Like Son,” but Kore-eda’s standing among the worldwide culturati will ensure a warm response at festivals and arthouse cinemas.

The movie stars Haruka Ayase (Hotaru no Hikari, Cyborg She, Masami Nagasawa (The Crossing), Kaho and Suzu Hirose.

Showtimes have not yet been released. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District (map).

Bubblepop for Girls Rock, July 22.

The next Bubblepop event is scheduled for July 22 at Brillobox in Lawrenceville. Bubblepop, explains its Facebook page,

is a dance party for K-Pop, J-Pop, Mando-pop and everything else fun and cute.

. . .

$5 donation gets you a sick dance party and helps girls attend Girls Rock camp in August

It starts at 10:00 pm, and the venue is at 4104 Penn Ave. (map).

Dragon Inn (龍門客棧), A Touch of Zen (俠女) at Row House Cinema in September.

The Row House Cinema recently announced two King Hu movies, 1967's Dragon Inn (龍門客棧) and 1971's A Touch of Zen (俠女) as part of its Kung Fu Cinema series from September 23 to 29.

Ki Ramen coming to Lawrenceville.

Ki Ramen is coming to 4401 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map), the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes today. The liquor license belongs to Fumanchew, LLC.

It is one of several places serving ramen that have opened recently or will open in the near future: Umami in Lawrenceville, Tan Izakaya in Shadyside, Love Yogurt in Oakland, and Yuzu Kitchen downtown.

The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) at Row House Cinema, July 1 - 7.

The Row House Cinema will show the 2010 Studio Ghibli film The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) from July 1 through July 7 as part of its Fantastical Adventures series.

Nakama again voted best Japanese/sushi restaurant in Pittsburgh by readers who don't know Japanese/sushi restaurants in Pittsburgh.

Nakama Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar was again voted the best Japanese/sushi restaurant by readers of Pittsburgh Magazine. Nakama has been voted #1 each year by readers since 2009, and is also perennial winner of the Pittsburgh City-Paper readers' poll.

Also of relevance to this site: Sesame Inn was voted Best Chinese, Nicky's Thai Kitchen was voted Best Thai, and Pusadee's Garden was voted best Al Fresco (open air).

DJ Bamboo mixtape release party at Umami, June 25.

Pittsburgh-based DJ Bamboo is throwing a release party at Umami on June 25 for his Bento Boombox mixtape. The event runs from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am. Umami is located at 202 38th Street in Lawrenceville (map).