Asian American Festival in Flushing this month

Looking for a taste of Asia without paying the price for a plane ticket?
Look no further than Flushing this month as nine events showcase the cultural offerings of China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and India.
The events - all part of the 2007 Asian American Festival - will include a trolley tour, a kung fu demonstration, and an afternoon street fair, and all are free, said Fred Fu, President of the Flushing Development Corporation, which has organized the festival since 2001.
“They always say that America is the melting pot, but it is not only the combining of every people and race but the combining of culture,” Fu said, when asked why he promotes the Asian cultural events. “We are the Asian immigrants, and we know what the Asian culture is, so we choose these events to bring to the community.”
Fu said that on Tuesday, May 1, organizers are scheduled to give out 500 free hotdogs and then march from the Flushing Mall, located at 133-31 39th Avenue, to Shea Stadium for Asian night. Fu has reserved 3,000 tickets to the Mets game against the Marlins, and before players take the field, Chinese, Korean, Indian, and Malaysian dance and music will be performed.
On Saturday, May 5, a film screening of the Japanese-language film, Sinking of Japan, and the Korean-language film, Host, will both be shown with English subtitles. The screening will be held at the Cultural Center of TECO, located at 41-61 Kissena Boulevard, from 1 to 5 p.m.
The following day, a free trolley will run every half hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting at the Flushing Mall, and ending at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Visitors can then go to the Queens Museum of Art, Queens Zoo, New York Hall of Science, U.S. Tennis Center, and the mini-golf park.
The next weekend - on Sunday, May 13 - culture seekers can stop by a street fair, to be held on Sanford Avenue between Main and Union Streets from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or watch two Mandarin Chinese-language films directed by Oscar-winner Ang Lee. The screening - of “Pushing Hand” and “The Wedding Banquet,” both filmed locally - will take place at the Flushing Library from 1 to 5 p.m.
During the weekend of Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, three events are scheduled. A performance of Chinese dance, music, kung fu, and magic show will be held on Saturday at the Flushing Mall from 2 to 4 p.m. A Malaysian cultural show will take place at the Mall on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., and the Flushing Library will host a lecture about the history of America and Flushing from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
A final event, displaying Korean, Chinese, and Indian cultural items, will be held on Sunday, May 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Koreavillage Open Center, located at 150-24 Northern Boulevard.
“This year besides Chinese, Korean, and Japanese programs, we have Indian and Malaysian events as well,” Fu said.
For more information about the festival, contact the Flushing Development Corporation at 718-358-9737.