Bring the family to enjoy the Mandarin Film Series in January at the Charleston Heights Arts Center. Three films that celebrate the Chinese culture, set in the spectacular backdrop of the Chinese landscape, will be shown on consecutive Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are priced at $3. The center is located at 800 S. Brush St., one block west of Decatur, north of Charleston Boulevard. For tickets and information, call (702) 229-6383.

“The King of Masks” will be shown Jan. 8. Set in 1930s Sichuan, this touching, tale combines theatrical flamboyance and evocative settings in which a traveling magician adopts a boy disciple who turns out to be a girl.  Starring Chu Yuk and Chao Yim Yin, and directed by Wu Tianming, “The King of Masks” is a story of unconditional love that will melt your heart.  Made in China in 1999, this color film is rated PG-13, lasts 101 minutes and is in Mandarin with English subtitles.

“Iron & Silk” will be shown Jan. 15. It is the true story of a charismatic American who worked in China as an English teacher while studying with legendary martial arts great Pan Qingfu. Made in China in 1990 and starring Pan Qingfu, Jeannette Lin Tsui and Mark Salzman, “Iron & Silk” is both a humorous and serious examination of the cultural differences between two men who work toward a common goal. Directed by Shirley Sun, this color film is rated PG, lasts 92 minutes and is in English.

“The Road Home” will be shown Jan. 22. From Zhang Yimou, the director of “Not One Less” and “Happy Times,” comes this tenderhearted love story of a teenage girl and a handsome schoolmaster who arrives in her remote village in northern China during the days of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. Made in China in 2000 and starring Zhang Ziyi, the young actress who played the willful governor’s daughter in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” this film is rated G, lasts 100 minutes and is in Mandarin with English subtitles.

The Charleston Heights Arts Center, which is operated by the Arts & Community Events Division of the city of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services, is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For more information on upcoming events at city of Las Vegas cultural centers, call 229-6383 for a copy of the current ArtQ, the class and program guide, or download it online at http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/information/3005.htm.