Hayao Miyazaki films My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) and Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) at Cinemark theaters around Pittsburgh in June and July.

The Hayao Miyazaki films My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) and Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) will play at Cinemark theaters in western Pennsylvania in June and July, respectively. An English-dubbed My Neighbor Totoro will play at 12:55 pm on June 25 at Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Pittsburgh Mills, while the English-subtitled version will play at those theaters at 7:00 pm on June 26. The English-dubbed version of Kiki's Delivery Service will play at 12:55 at those theaters on July 23, and the English-subtitled version will play there at 7:00 pm on July 24. Tickets are currently available online.

HCL Technologies hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Product Identity Analyst position onsite at Google.

HCL Technologies is hiring for a bilingual Mandarin-English customer product support position onsite at Google in Pittsburgh. The posting, via Monster.com:

Bilingual Mandarin Chinese Product Identity Analyst is a full-time job through HCL America, Inc. onsite at Google Pittsburgh.

This position requires entrepreneurial drive to contribute to the long-term growth of online shopping by performing in-depth research, analyzing product specification data, using highly technical internal tools and processes to manage and enhance a large repository of knowledge about products. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams.

Documentary A Chronicle of My Cultural Revolution, June 8.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center, SilkScreen, and StartUpTown will present the film A Chronicle of My Cultural Revolution on June 8.

StartUpTown to present director Xu Xing’s film "A Chronicle of My Cultural Revolution." This documentary of personal experiences of the Cultural Revolution starts with the director’s own love story. The film will be followed by a short presentation by East Asian Librarian Haihui Zhang on the CR/10 project, a collection of memories and impressions of ordinary people and their experiences with China’s decade long Cultural Revolution.

The event will be held at the StartUptown: Paramount Film Exchange at 1727 Blvd. of the Allies (map). It is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged.

Japanese rock group ONE OK ROCK at Mr. Smalls, August 6.

The Japanese rock group ONE OK ROCK will play at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale on August 6 as part of its Ambitions US Tour. The Chicago Tribune profiled the group last year ahead of their Pittsburgh concert.

One Ok Rock could easily be mistaken for an American band, which might actually be the point: The group's members love American pop-rock, and the sort of Hot Topic/Good Charlotte/Warped Tour punk that was popular circa 2005. Ask Taka what music he likes, and he'll cite acts such as Linkin Park, Maroon 5 and "a lot of emo stuff." The album "35xxxv" (pronounced "thirty-five") is a crisp, endearing, slightly dated homage to those bands; it sounds like an album of Bush-era Fall Out Boy outtakes.

. . .

To a small but vocal contingent of its Japanese fans, the band's preoccupation with stateside success was perceived as an abandonment of its roots ("Maybe they understand already?" Moriuchi says hopefully when asked how these fans feel now). Backlash or not, Moriuchi, having lived in southern California, isn't in a hurry to go back home. "The United States is so comfortable for me. I don't know how it is for the others, but for me it's so much better than Japan."

Tickets for the all-ages, 7:00 pm show are $25 online. Mr. Smalls Theatre is located at 400 Lincoln Ave. in Millvale (map).

My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) at Row House Cinema in late-July.

The Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville will show Hayao Miyazaki's 1988 animated film My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) as part of the Pittsburgh Children's Film Festival from July 28 to August 3. Tickets and showtime information have yet to be announced.

Douglas Paal and "US-China Relations in the Era of Donald Trump", June 8.

The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will host Douglas Paal, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and his talk "US-China Relations in the Era of Donald Trump" on June 8.

Douglas H. Paal is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International (2006–2008) and was an unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan (2002–2006). He was on the National Security Council staffs of Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush between 1986 and 1993 as director of Asian Affairs and then as senior director and special assistant to the president.

The event runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the Duquesne Club downtown (map). The cost is $20 for World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh members and $30 for non-members.

36th annual Pittsburgh Bonsai Show, June 3 and 4.

The Pittsburgh Bonsai Society will presents its 36th annual Pittsburgh Bonsai Show on June 3 and 4 at the Phipps Garden Center in Shadyside (map). The event is free and open to the public, though reservations are required for the workshops and fees are required for supplies.

Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall (长城) part of Cinema in the Park this August.

The 2016 Zhang Yimou film The Great Wall (长城) will play in two Pittsburgh parks this August as part of the annual Cinema in the Park series. 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 play in Schenley Park on August 16 and at Riverview Park in Observatory Hill on August 19. Movies are free and open to the public, and begin at dusk.

Three Pitt student-athletes to visit Vietnam in Coach for College program.

Campers from the 2014 program, which also featured Pitt student-athletes (via the Coach for College Facebook group).

University of Pittsburgh student-athletes will visit Vietnam this summer as participants in the Coach for College program. From a May 24 press release:

Three University of Pittsburgh student-athletes are set to travel abroad to participate in the Coach for College program, including junior men's soccer player Craig Bair, sophomore cross-country runner Sarah Frick and junior softball player Olivia Gray.

Coach for College is service-learning program that brings together U.S. student-athletes and Vietnamese university students to teach academics, sports, and life skills at summer camps to disadvantaged children in rural Vietnam. The program provides sports infrastructure to youth who attend middle schools in rural parts of developing countries, and helps them develop excitement for and proficiency in science, leadership, language, and life skills using sports as a means to applied learning.

Mongolian-inspired "nomadic folk metal" band Tengger Cavalry in Lawrenceville, June 6.

The nomadic folk metal band Tengger Cavalry will play at Cattivo on June 6. The band's Facebook page describes the New York based group thus:

TENGGER CAVALRY have been turning heads in the music world since the band’s inception in 2010 they blend the nomadic music tradition of Central Asia with heavy metal, creating a unique genre of music known as Nomadic folk metal. Having sold out Carnegie Hall in a legendary performance and been featured in CNN, Vice, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal and the Village Voice, among countless others, the band is ready to take on the world.

Tickets for the 8:00 pm, 21-and-over show $12 to $14 online. Cattivo is located at 116 44th Street in Lawrenceville (map).

2016 Japanese film After the Storm (海よりもまだ深く) at Hollywood Theater, from June 16.

The 2016 Japanese film After the Storm (海よりもまだ深く) will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from June 16. A summary from a March San Francisco Chronicle review:

Ryoto (Hiroshi Abe) has lost his mojo. Fifteen years earlier, his novel won a prestigious award, but he has yet to follow up on that success. He is divorced from Kyoko (Yoko Maki) and is behind on his child support — he is limited by the divorce settlement to visiting his son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa) once a month.

He is also broke — probably because of the cost of the divorce and his gambling habit. With no follow-up novel in the works, he has taken a job with a private detective agency. As he gets the goods on his clients’ cheating significant others, he also examines his only life, which he is gradually realizing is a failure.

“I’m the ‘great talents bloom late’ kind,” Ryoto tells his mother, Yashiko (Kirin Kiki, who is excellent).

Not buying it for a second, Mom responds, “You’re taking too long to bloom.”

Unable to move on, Ryoto uses his private eye skills to spy on his ex-wife and her new boyfriend, who seems to be everything he is not — and a nice guy to boot. What could be a creepy sort of plot twist is, in Kore-eda’s hands, more of a sad desperation.

As with many of Kore-eda’s best films — “Maborosi” and “Still Walking,” among others — “After the Storm” has what the Japanese call mono no aware, which translates as “the pathos of things.” It is a film that is aware of the transient, impermanent nature of life.

Tickets and showtime information is not yet available. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

Dragon Boat Festival returns to Pittsburgh with Dragon Fest 2017, June 10.

The Organization of Chinese Americans Pittsburgh Chapter is hosting Dragon Fest 2017 on June 10.

Come enjoy a summer afternoon with OCA members and family. Learn how to dragonboat alongside members of the Pittsburgh Paddlefish Dragon Boat team, and meet our Japan-America Society of Pittsburgh (JASP) and Taiwanese Association of America (TAA), Pittsburgh Chapter members and friends! We will have professional staff that will introduce the basics of dragon boating and a brief training session. After the training, we are planning on having teams compete in short races. Join us as a guest (must be an OCA, TAA, or JAS member), or apply as an individual rower or build your own team. All attendees will enjoy having a chance to sit in an authentic dragon boat, along with other crafts and activities for children. Lunch Bentos will be available for sale. Children 12 and under can receive dragon boat instruction, but will not be allowed to participate in the races. It’s never too late to get involved in a new hobby that's as much fun and exhilarating as dragon boating! Reservations required, all ages welcome!

The festival will be held atMillvale Riverfront Park in Millvale, across the river from Lawrenceville (map).

WESA-FM profiles cultures around Asian restaurants in Squirrel Hill.

Dr. Freddie Fu demonstrates his method of eating dumplings at Café 33 (via Margaret Sun of WESA).

WESA-FM has a lengthy profile on some of the Chinese restaurants in Squirrel Hill and the roles they provide as not only eateries but transmitters of culture.

Food is communication, [Café 33 owner Meiching] Tao explained, and a way to create understanding between different cultures. Challenging her customers to use chopsticks is just one way Tao tries to get westerners to experience her native cuisine.

“I want to share and teach about culture, because it’s an important part of who I am,” said Tao.

Still no news on Shadyside's Szechuan Spice.

It's been over a year since any progress has been made on Shadyside's Szechuan Spice, on the ground floor of Kennilworth Apartments. And it's been nearly two since a red canopy went up at 5700 Centre Ave. (map) to replace the long blue awning that once belonged to Jimmy Tsang's Chinese Restaurant, which occupied the space from 1982 to 2011.

Squirrel Hill's Bubble Pi to reopen under new management.

Bubble π [Pi] Baking Arts, the original Asian bakery in Squirrel Hill that closed earlier this month, is reopening under new management. It is currently selling coffee and buns---and is running a buy-one-get-one-free special---but plans a fuller menu of beverages and pastries at a yet-undecided future date.

Panda Supermarket (熊猫超市) coming to Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill.

A reader sends this photo of signage at 5846 Forbes Ave. for Panda Supermarket (熊猫超市), an Asian grocery coming to Squirrel Hill. It's located below Bangkok Balcony in what used to be a Levin Mattress store.

The only other Asian grocery store in the neighborhood is Young's Oriental Grocery Store, a Korean grocery on Forward Ave (map).

The Yellow Sea (황해) at Maridon Museum, May 25.

The 2010 thriller The Yellow Sea (황해) will play at the Maridon Museum on May 25, the fourth and final installment in this spring's Korean Film Series. A 2011 New York Times review provides a summary:

Written and directed by Na Hong-jin, “The Yellow Sea” follows Gu-nam as he descends into a nightmare that he helps create. The story takes off in Yanji, the capital of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, a wedge of China that borders North Korea and Russia. Initially, Gu-nam, an ethnic Korean (or chosun-juk), spends his time losing money at mahjongg, driving a cab or passed out in his squalid apartment, where a web of broken glass covering a framed wedding photo of him and his wife hints at the tragic misunderstanding that sets the story in fast, fast motion. His wife has left to find work in South Korea, and Gu-nam, bereft, angry, self-pitying, has built up a debt that he seems unlikely to work or gamble his way out of.

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When he can’t pay what he owes, he lands before a gangster, Myun-ga (Kim Yun-seok, in a tour de force performance), who will wipe out Gu-nam’s debt if he kills a man. Stoop-shouldered and somewhat sleepy, Myun-ga doesn’t look like much of a danger, but menace radiates off him, especially because he makes his offer in a dog market.

The movie starts at 6:00 pm and reservations are required to be made by phone: 724-282-0123. The Maridon Museum is an Asian art museum at 322 N. McKean St. in downtown Butler (map) that runs film series periodically throughout the year, in addition to art classes, book club meetings, and its regular exhibits.

Pirates sign 18-year-old Chinese pitcher Haicheng Gong (宫海成)

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed 18-year-old Chinese pitcher Haicheng Gong (宫海成) on Tuesday. MLB.com writes that Gong comes from the Chinese Development Academy and will be assigned to the team's Bradenton affiliate. Rumbunters has more details, including the time Gong has spent getting used to American culture.

The Pirates have had a number of Asian players in their system the past decade, though Gong is the first from the People's Republic of China. The four East Asian players to make the big league roster are Masumi Kuwata in 2007, Akinori Iwamura in 2010, Hisanori Takahashi in 2012, and Jung-ho Kang in 2015-2016.

Oakland-based WholeRen hiring bilingual Chinese / English Marketing Coordinator.

WholeRen Education LLC, a Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement company, is hiring a full-time Bilingual Marketing Coordinator.

Our client, established by Chinese and American professional educators, is a multinational and professional education company. It integrates the services of academic application, college transfer services, academic emergency services, academic counseling, immersion classroom, landing services, Chinese-American cultural exchange and other services.

Now they are seeking for a bilingual marketing coordinator, who is driven, focused, talented and looking to gain hands-on experience. The ideal candidate would be someone majoring in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism or advertising.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute offline marketing strategies and campaigns
• Create and distribute marketing collateral: brochures, catalogues, posters, samples, displays, promotional materials, presentations, advertisements etc.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to drive key projects and goals
• Assist the Marketing Manager in a variety of administrative and project management tasks to drive the marketing efforts of our business

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 1-2 years of marketing experience
• Excellent writing and verbal skills in both English and Chinese
• Proficient with Microsoft office suits includes Words, Excel

The application can be completed online.

Designing Space: The Exercise of the Spatial Imagination in Pre-Modern China, May 26-27 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of History will host "Designing Space: The Exercise of the Spatial Imagination in Pre-Modern China" on May 26 and 27. A program of events and a list of presentation abstracts is available at the department's website. The conference runs from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm both days and is held in the Gold Room of the University Club in Oakland (map).

Pitt's Confucius Institute hiring Program Coordinator.

The Confucius Institute located at the University of Pittsburgh is hiring a full-time Program Coordinator. From yesterday's PittSource posting:

The University of Pittsburgh is seeking a qualified Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator for the Confucius Institute will oversee activities related to the daily functioning of the Confucius Institute, including translating and submitting the CI budget in Chinese and English to the Hanban web accounting system; monitoring budget levels each month and overseeing the processing of accounting expenses. The incumbent will develop and administer the summer and academic semester training programs for incoming volunteer teachers and coordinate processing of federal and state regulatory forms for incoming volunteers including visas, clearances and certifications in English and Chinese (when required). The incumbent will manage documentation related to OIS visa regulation and passport adherences, coordinate with University Testing Center to oversee HSK Testing Center, and expand the Chinese Bridge programs for superintendents and students state-wide. The Confucius Institute Program Coordinator may also occasionally assist in administration activities that support the overall mission for Chinese language and cultural education developed in consortium with the Asian Studies Center.

. . .

MA degree required in Chinese/Asian Studies or Accounting; Ph.D. preferred; Knowledge and experience related to China including research, teaching and study abroad programs; Fluency in Mandarin and English; Experience working with multiple stakeholder budgets and accounting systems; experience working with teacher education programs; Excellent organizational and administrative skills.

The Confucius Institute, says its website,

is a language and culture center dedicated to supporting the learning of Chinese language and culture for the greater public. CI-Pitt was founded in 2007 and was one of the first 25 Confucius Institute’s to be established worldwide. The Confucius Institute is a culture center developed and partially supported by the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing China, also known as Hanban.