Stephan Haggard and "Hard Target: Dealing with North Korea" at Pitt, March 14.

Advance notice for a talk on North Korea at the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center with Dr. Stephan Haggard of UC San Diego.

North Korea poses a number of challenges to the new Trump administration, from its nuclear and missile programs to the possibility of political instability. Diplomacy with North Korea is further complicated by pressing humanitarian and human rights questions and the complexities of dealing with China as a partner in negotiations with North Korea. How has the US dealt with North Korea in the past and is there a different way forward?

The talk will be held from 12:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

"The Trauma of ‘Liberation:' National Unity and Memory on the Ethnic Margins of Maoist China" at CMU, February 24.

Via DissertationReviews.

Dr. Benno Weiner, an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University, will present "The Trauma of ‘Liberation:' National Unity and Memory on the Ethnic Margins of Maoist China" as February's installment of the Socialist Studies Seminar. The talk runs from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in Baker Hall 246-A (map).

2016 Park Chan-wook film The Handmaiden (아가씨) at Erie Art Museum, March 8.

The 2016 Korean movie The Handmaiden (아가씨), directed by Park Chan-wook, will play at the Erie Art Museum (map) on March 8. An October four-star review on RogerEbert.com provides a summary:

Park Chan-Wook’s “The Handmaiden” is a love story, revenge thriller and puzzle film set in Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930s. It is voluptuously beautiful, frankly sexual, occasionally perverse and horrifically violent. At times its very existence feels inexplicable. And yet all of its disparate pieces are assembled with such care, and the characters written and acted with such psychological acuity, that you rarely feel as if the writer-director is rubbing the audience’s nose in excess of one kind or another. This is a film made by an artist at the peak of his powers: Park, a South Korean director who started out as a critic, has many great or near-great genre films, including “Oldboy,” “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” “Lady Vengeance” and “Thirst,” but this one is so intricate yet light-footed that it feels like the summation of his career to date.

Doors open at 6:00 pm and the movie starts at 7:00. Tickets are $5.

"Interpretation and Processing of Japanese Reflexives" at Pitt, February 24.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Linguistics will host PhD candidate Noriyasu Li and his colloquium "Interpretation and Processing of Japanese Reflexives" on February 24.

My research investigates how native speakers (L1) of Japanese link reflexives to their antecedents through experimental research on specific sets of anaphoric pronouns – zibun, zibun-zisin, kare-zisin, and kanozyo-zisin. The research also examines how L2 learners acquire these properties in Japanese. Although it is well known that co-reference with these reflexives can be ambiguous (Aikawa, 2002), I analyze how L1 Japanese speakers successfully construct anaphoric relations among determiner phrases and resolve ambiguity through an analysis of case and argument structure of the verb. The interaction between case and the predicate in reflexive-antecedent binding, to my knowledge, has not been thoroughly addressed in the literature to date, and this point is the innovative focus of my research. Further, I expand the scope of reflexives to all reflexive forms in Japanese, and cross-linguistically analyze acquisition between typologically related (e.g., Korean) and unrelated (e.g., Chinese) languages.

The talk begins at 3:00 pm in 332 Cathedral of Learning (map) and is free and open to the public.

Teaching English in South Korea information session and panel, February 21 at Pitt.

On February 21 from 6:30 pm, the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host an information session and panel about opportunities to teach English in South Korea. The session will be held in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Documentary The Eagle Huntress at newly-opened Tull Family Theater, through February 23.

The Eagle Huntress, the 2016 documentary about a 13-year-old girl training to be an eagle hunter in Mongolia, is playing at the recently-opened Tull Family Theater in Sewickley through February 23. A brief synopsis from the distributor:

THE EAGLE HUNTRESS follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries.

Set against the breathtaking expanse of the Mongolian steppe, THE EAGLE HUNTRESS features some of the most awe-inspiring cinematography ever captured in a documentary, giving this intimate tale of a young girl's quest the dramatic force of an epic narrative film.

While there are many old Kazakh eagle hunters who vehemently reject the idea of any female taking part in their ancient tradition, Aisholpan's father Nurgaiv believes that a girl can do anything a boy can, as long as she's determined.

Tickets and showtimes are available from the theater's website. The Tull Family Theater is located at 418 Walnut St. in Sewickley (map), about 15 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

Traditional Chinese music group Purple Bamboo at Carnegie Library in Oakland, February 26.

Purple Bamboo, a group of traditional Chinese musicians, will perform at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on February 26.

Founded in 2015, Purple Bamboo performs traditional and contemporary Chinese music. Purple Bamboo has played at a variety of local venues, and is comprised of Ai-Lin Chen on the guzhen (a plucked string instrument), Kai Liu on the dizi (a transverse flute), and Mimi Jong on the erhu (a two-stringed spike fiddle).

The troupe has recently been joined by world-class pipa (a four-stringed lute) virtuoso Jin Yang, a graduate from the prestigious Central Conservatory in Beijing and former professor at the Wuhuan Music Convervatory. Please join us in welcoming them!

The event runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in the first floor's Quiet Reading Room and is free and open to the public. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map) and is accessible by buses 28X, 54, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, and 93.

Hae Yeon Choo book talk "Decentering Citizenship: Gender, Labor, and Migrant Rights in South Korea" at Pitt, February 22.

A reminder for a February 22 book talk in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Sociology by Dr. Hae Yeon Choo of the University of Toronto.

Decentering Citizenship follows three groups of Filipina migrants' struggles to belong in South Korea: factory workers claiming rights as workers, wives of South Korean men claiming rights as mothers, and hostesses at American military clubs who are excluded from claims—unless they claim to be victims of trafficking. Moving beyond laws and policies, Hae Yeon Choo examines how rights are enacted, translated, and challenged in daily life and ultimately interrogates the concept of citizenship. Choo reveals citizenship as a language of social and personal transformation within the pursuit of dignity, security, and mobility. Her vivid ethnography of both migrants and their South Korean advocates illuminates how social inequalities of gender, race, class, and nation operate in defining citizenship. Decentering Citizenship argues that citizenship emerges from negotiations about rights and belonging between South Koreans and migrants. As the promise of equal rights and full membership in a polity erodes in the face of global inequalities, this decentering illuminates important contestation at the margins of citizenship.

The talk runs from 12:00 to 1:30 pm in 2432 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Chinese movie Duckweed (乘风破浪) continues in Pittsburgh through February 22.

The 2017 Chinese movie Duckweed (乘风破浪), which opened in Pittsburgh on February 10, will continue at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater through February 22. A Variety review summarizes:

The protagonist, Lang (Deng Chao), is a car racer living in 2022 Shanghai. Upon winning a national rally, he publicly and sarcastically “thanks” his dad, Zheng (Eddie Peng), for his rough upbringing and lack of encouragement. He offers Zheng a ride to show off his driving, but crashes the vehicle.

While hovering between life and death, Lang time-slips to 1998, and lands in an alley where he witnesses a young Zheng’s righteous but foolhardy actions. Together with dimwit Liu Yi (race-car driver Zack Gao) and computer nerd Little Ma (Dong Zijian, “Mountains May Depart”) they pose like younger selves of the aged vigilantes in Guan Hu’s “Mr Six,” upholding honor codes borrowed from ’80s Hong Kong gangster films.

The movie opened in China on January 28. Tickets and showtimes are available via Fandango. 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.

"Visualizing Chinese Media Ideologies: Biao Qing Bao and its Development in Chinese Internet Culture" at Pitt, February 17.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures will host MA Candidate Yixin Liang and her colloquium "Visualizing Chinese Media Ideologies: Biao Qing Bao and its Development in Chinese Internet Culture" on February 17.

My thesis addresses Biao Qing Bao, a new type of internet meme consisting of an image and a text caption, and development on the Chinese internet. In this presentation, I will use the concept of media ideology proposed by Illeana Gershon to explain how people's conception of mediated codes of communication shapes their practice and usage of technology and media. In this sense, Biao Qing Bao, as one of the semiotic codes created and circulated on the internet, is not only a type of visual entertainment that references Chinese pop culture, but also an indicator of fluid media ideologies and power dynamics in Chinese society. I will focus on two significant moments in the development of Biao Qing Bao: the internet censorship launched by the CHinese government and the Facebook campaign in 2016 to discuss how Biao Qing Bao was transformed from a visual weapon to confront hegemony to an icon of national identity.

The talk begins at 12:00 in room 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

How To: Asia: Chinese Brush Calligraphy, February 15 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host a Chinese Brush Calligraphy demonstration as the next installment of its How To: Asia series.

Our intern Bliss Hou will teach the fine art of traditional brush calligraphy.  Bliss will give a demonstration and then participants will have an opportunity to write their own Chinese characters.

The event starts at 3:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map). The event is free though RSVP is requested to the email address on the flyer.

Speed Language Partnering: Korean, March 1 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh Asian Studies Center is hosting a Speed Language Partnering: Korean on March 1 with a group of students visiting from Gwangju's Chosun University. From this week's ASC newsletter:

Interested in improving your Korean language skills or want to help new language learners? Join us at our speed networking event where native and Korean speakers of all levels will converse in a series of brief exchanges. ASC has partnered with the Chosun University exchange students from the English Language Institute (ELI) to participate in this event on Wednesday March 1 at 12 Noon in 4130 Posvar Hall.

Heonik Kwon lecture February 14, colloquium February 16 at Pitt.

Visiting Fellow Dr. Heonik Kwon of the University of Cambridge will give two talks at the University of Pittsburgh, on February 14 and 16. Dr. Kwon will give a lecture on "Remembering the Cold War" from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on February 14 in room 602 Cathedral of Learning (map). The February 16 colloquium titled "Peace under the Orange Tree: Civil War and the Amity of Kinship" will be held from 12:30 to 2:00 pm in 602 Cathedral of Learning; the subject of the talk is outlined in this document and is particularly related to the Cold War vis-a-vis Jeju Island.

Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall (长城) in Pittsburgh from February 16.

The 2016 Zhang Yimou film The Great Wall (长城) will open in Pittsburgh, and throughout the US, on February 16. Starring Matt Damon, Jing Ting, and Andy Lau, among others, it was the highest-grossing movie in China the week it was released. A South China Morning Post review provides a summary:

Damon plays William, an Irish mercenary who arrives at China’s Great Wall together with Spanish companion Tovar (Game of Thrones’ Pedro Pascal) just as it is besieged by a monstrous horde of Taotie – mythical beasts from the bowels of Hell, whom the Chinese believe were sent to keep their greed in check.
Initially the foreigners simply wish to flee with as much explosive “black powder” as they can carry, but after earning the respect of Commander Lin (Jing Tian), newly appointed leader of the wall’s Nameless Order, William agrees to stay and help defend the kingdom.

Early criticism that the film propagates the “white saviour” narrative and that Damon’s role was whitewashed both prove unfounded. William is a proficient warrior and willing collaborator, but it is Lin and Strategist Wang (Andy Lau) who discover the key to defeating the beasts and spearhead the pivotal assault.

It will open on the 16th with a 7:30 pm show at Southside Works Cinemas, and will open more widely in the city on the 17th. Showtimes and ticket information are available via the movie's official website.

Filipino Marathon Film Series continues with One More Try in Oakland, February 18.

The 2012 movie One More Try will play at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium in Oakland on January 14, the second installment in the Filipino Marathon Film Series presented by the Filipino American Association of Pitsburgh. A synopsis by Reel Advice:

Six years ago, Edward (Dingdong Dantes) had an affair with a local Baguio girl named Grace (Angel Locsin). What Edward didn't know is that he bore her a child. Now, at present time, Botchok is now five and unfortunately, he has a fatal sickness that needs a rare donor - one that his father might be able to provide. As fate would have it, it turns out that both Grace and Edward don't have the necessary bone marrow for Botchok. Botchok's doctor tells them that the easiest and fastest way to get a compatible donor is for them to bear a new child. This is easier said than done as Edward is already married to his long time love Jacqueline (Angelica Panganiban) and Grace has a loving boyfriend (Zanjoe Marudo) by her side. As Botchok's sickness gets worse, the two and their partners must decide if they must do the ultimate taboo to save a child's life.

The event runs from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the Frick Fine Arts Building (map). Single tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Philippine Nationality Room fund.

WholeRen Education hiring Chinese-speaking part-time International Education Specialist.

WholeRen Education LLC, a Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement company, is hiring a part-time International Education Specialist.

International Education Specialist (Part time)

• As an International Education Specialist, under the guidelines of Department of State and program regulations
• You will be resbonsible for translating important documents for online platform and websites. * You will have opportunities to conduct interviews with international students, to help to improve their language and enhance our international programs.
• You will collaborate with the National Office in LA, Boston, San Fransisco, and Beijing, regarding homestay programs.

Job Requirements for International Education Specialist:

• As an International Education Specilist in America, you must be able to workindependently and effectively in Pittsburgh Office.
• You must have exceptional networking, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• You must understand certain level of Chinese Writing and communication. Prefer college student who is pursuiting Chinese Major.

The pay starts at minimum wage, and the application can be completed online.

“The Chinese Exclusion Act in American and World History, 1882-1965”, part of February 11 Teach-In at Pitt.

Visiting Assistant Professor in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of History David Luesink will speak on “The Chinese Exclusion Act in American and World History, 1882-1965” as part of Pitt's Teach-In on New Immigration & Trade Policies on February 11.

The Teach-In is an opportunity to explore and learn more about the historical context and implications of America’s new trade and immigration policies.

The sessions run from 1:00 to 5:00 pm---and a full schedule is available here---and Dr. Luesink's talk runs from 4:00 to 4:50 in the the Yugoslav Room (#142) in the Cathedral of Learning (map).

Year of the Rooster parade, February 12 in Squirrel Hill.

via @OCA Pittsburgh.

The second annual Lunar New Year parade through Squirrel Hill will take place on Sunday, February 12 from 11:00 am.

[T]he festivities will culminate with the second annual Lunar New Year parade. At 11am on Sunday, February 12, more than 30 groups will begin their march at Murray Avenue and Phillips. The route will continue up Murray Avenue and conclude at Forbes and Murray.

Chinese movie Duckweed (乘风破浪) in Pittsburgh, from February 10.

The 2017 Chinese movie Duckweed (乘风破浪) will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater from February 10. A Variety review summarizes:

The protagonist, Lang (Deng Chao), is a car racer living in 2022 Shanghai. Upon winning a national rally, he publicly and sarcastically “thanks” his dad, Zheng (Eddie Peng), for his rough upbringing and lack of encouragement. He offers Zheng a ride to show off his driving, but crashes the vehicle.

While hovering between life and death, Lang time-slips to 1998, and lands in an alley where he witnesses a young Zheng’s righteous but foolhardy actions. Together with dimwit Liu Yi (race-car driver Zack Gao) and computer nerd Little Ma (Dong Zijian, “Mountains May Depart”) they pose like younger selves of the aged vigilantes in Guan Hu’s “Mr Six,” upholding honor codes borrowed from ’80s Hong Kong gangster films.

The movie opened in China on January 28. Tickets and showtimes are available via Fandango. 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.

Also at the Waterfront, the Stephen Chow-produced movie Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 2 (西遊伏妖篇) continues.

When the former mayor of Pittsburgh was the US ambassador to Japan.

Photograph from Library of Congress.

George W. Guthrie, mayor of Pittsburgh from 1906 to 1909, served as the United States Ambassador to Japan from 1913 until his death in 1917.

Yanlai Dance Academy presents Red Fan, March 4.

Yanlai Dance Academy, based in the North Hills, will present Red Fan on March 4.

Enjoy the dazzling spectacle of traditional Chinese dance. Watch dances that range from graceful fluidity to rambunctious athleticism. Learn about the many ethnic groups and traditions that make up Chinese culture. Be dazzled by the exquisite costumes, exotic music, and gifted dancers. Yanlai Dance Academy's Red Fan is a family-friendly experience guaranteed to entertain.

Tickets begin at $15 for general admission. The event will be held from 6:00 pm at Carson Middle School, located off McKnight Road in the North Hills (map).