Feature Event: "Get Your Kicks on Route 66: Martial Arts in America"-a demonstration of kung fu and other martial arts-is set for Saturday, May 5, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture's Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium.

This demonstration will feature local masters in Chinese kung fu, Japanese aikido, Thai kick boxing, and Filipino kali and eskrima. The event is hosted by John Donohue, a professor of anthropology at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn., a black belt in karate and kendo and an editor of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. Donohue and featured practitioners will discuss the history and practice of each form and the introduction and proliferation of martial arts in the United States in the last half century. The program is the fifth in the series "Meeting Points," which celebrates the influence of the month's heritage group on other peoples around the world.

Performance: The National Museum of Natural History will present "Asian Pacific Heritage Music and Dance" Friday, May 4, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in its Baird Auditorium. This sixth annual event will include performances by the Wat Thai Dance Group of Washington, D.C.; the Fairfax Chinese Dance Troupe; and the Mongolian Dance Troupe, who also will put on a fashion show of historical clothing.

Films: The Freer Gallery of Art will screen "The Taste of Tea," Katsuhito Ishii's poignant and wonderfully absurd film that is set during one summer in the life of the Haruno family. The film will be shown Tuesday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in the museum's Meyer Auditorium. The film is in Japanese, with English subtitles and runs 142 minutes.

The National Museum of the American Indian's George Gustav Heye Center and the Hawaii Cultural Foundation will present "Pacifka Showcase" Thursday, May 10, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 12, from 1 to 4:45 p.m. These 10 short films are highlights from the Pacifika Festival and address issues such as history, identity and human rights of Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

For Children: The National Museum of the American Indian will feature the culture of Native Hawaii in two days of events, including hula performances, cooking demonstrations in an outdoor fire pit, storytelling sessions, films and lectures. "Hawaiian Festival" will take place Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 13, from noon to 4:30 p.m.

The National Zoo will host "What's Cookin' on the Asia Trail?" Friday, May 25, at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m. in the Visitor Center Auditorium. Chef FONZ will host a cooking show that explains the eating habits of the animals living along the recently opened Asia Trail. After the show, participants can use maps to find animals for feeding time. This program is recommended for children ages 6 through 10.

Lectures: On Tuesday, May 1, at 7 p.m., the Freer Gallery of Art will host the lecture "Japanese Cinema and the Changing Family" in its Meyer Auditorium. Museum film scholar Tom Vick will trace the history of Japanese cinema using film clips to show the many ways that it has reflected a society through the years.

On Friday, May 25, at noon, the National Museum of Natural History will present a lecture by Paul Michael Taylor, director of the museum's Asian cultural history program and co-curator of "Korea Gallery," which opens June 8. Taylor will introduce the exhibition's major themes and will highlight objects ranging from Korea's ancient past to its dynamic present.

Demonstrations: The 21st annual Asian Arts and Crafts Festival will feature Cambodian stone and metal sculpting, Chinese paper folding, Korean calligraphy and watercolors, Japanese doll making, Thai fruit and vegetable carvings, Mongolian mask making, Philippine weaving and Taiwanese butterfly photographs. The festival will take place Thursday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the National Museum of Natural History's rotunda.

The Smithsonian Associates will present "Beyond Sushi: Culinary Japan from Classical to Modern" Saturday, May 12, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto will demonstrate his art along with other Japanese-cuisine specialists. This program will include guided tastings and a traditional lunch. This event will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington at 1150 22nd St. N.W.

Tours: Throughout Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Renwick Gallery will offer daily docent-led tours highlighting "Blooming Vessel" by Korean-born sculptor Chughi Choo. For this sculpture, Choo applied a wax coating to a vase with three blooming flowers, then plated the object with silver and finished it with a process of his own invention called "elctro-appliqué." The work's graceful form gives no indication of the elaborate steps of its creation. The tours will take place weekdays at noon and weekends at 1 p.m. from the Information Desk.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum will give daily walk-in tours that highlight the work of Asian American artists Nam June Paik, Isamu Noguchi and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. The tours will be offered daily at noon and 2 p.m. from the F Street Lobby.

Exhibition: The S. Dillon Ripley Center will feature "Within the Emperor's Garden, The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion." The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion (Wan Chun Ting), a celebrated example of classic Chinese architecture, still stands in the Forbidden City in Beijing. It was built circa 1420 and rebuilt in 1533. On view is a model of this pavilion made by Chinese artisans that demonstrates traditional Chinese carving and fine furniture techniques. Also on view is a case with examples of carving tools. This exhibition is on view in the International Gallery Concourse from April 18 through June 3. -- www.si.edu