2 days ago
Teochew performing arts family keeps the flame of tradition alive
For one night only, the Teochew Puppet and Opera House brings Klang Valley audiences a rare glimpse into traditional Teochew puppetry, opera and music.
The Penang-based troupe will perform Maestro Of Paper Shadows at Stage 1 theatre, Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC) tomorrow (Aug 6) – a 135-minute tribute to the 62-year legacy of Toh Ai Hwa, founder of the Kim Giak Low Choon Teochew Puppet Troupe.
The show pays tribute to Toh's artistic career, which spans over six decades.
Now 74, she has trained her children and grandchildren into accomplished artists, building a five‑generation legacy recognised locally and abroad.
Toh Ai Hwa, matriarch of the Goh family and Teochew performing arts master.
Beyond telling Toh's life story, Maestro Of Paper Shadows touches on the history and practice of traditional Teochew performing arts, particularly iron-rod puppetry, opera and traditional instruments, such as the erxian (two-string fiddle), yangqin (hammered dulcimer) and yehu (coconut-shell fiddle).
The show features around 70 cast and crew, including the Malaysia Century Chinese Orchestra and Resonance Choir. Performed in Teochew, it will have English and Chinese subtitles.
'We wanted the show to be accessible to everyone, especially those unfamiliar with Teochew culture,' says Toh's daughter, Goh Hooi Ling (better known as Ling Goh) in a recent interview.
'Even many in the younger Teochew generation don't know much about our opera, music and puppetry, so it's important for us to keep these traditions alive,' she adds.
Ling established the Teochew Puppet and Opera House in 2014 and founded the Iron Gang Puppet Theatre in 2022.
Ling now directs the Teochew Puppet and Opera House, a museum and small school she founded in 2014 to preserve and teach traditional Teochew arts.
Last year, she published the book, Toh Ai Hwa: Mistress Of Teochew Rod Puppetry, chronicling her mother's life and artistry.
A living legacy
Prior to becoming the matriarch of the artistically talented Goh family, Toh was born into a family of Chinese opera practitioners, particularly Teochew opera.
Her grandmother, Lee Gek Hong, was a renowned actress in the 1920s, and her mother, Yeoh Cheng Im (Dua Muey), was a famous young male lead in the 1940s. Toh's third brother, Toh Ah Hock, was also a renowned old male lead.
At just 12, Toh chose to diverge from the family tradition and began learning puppetry.
One of the iron-rod Teochew puppets used by the Teochew Puppet and Opera House.
She joined the Lao Rong Xiu Chun Puppet Troupe, specialising in drums and performing young and old male lead roles. Her rich, melodious singing earned her the nickname 'Malaysia's Chen Chu Hui' (after the famed Teochew opera singer).
In 1989, she founded the Kim Giak Low Choon Teochew Puppet Troupe, which she still leads today. Toh was named a 'Penang Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor' in 2008 and received the 'George Town Knowledge Contribution and Heritage Award' in 2020.
All in the family
In many performing arts families, there will be at least one who follows in their parents' footsteps, but for Toh, all three of her children – Goh Lih Shan, 50; Ling Goh, 44; and Goh Lih Tat, 41 – are carrying the family's legacy in their own way.
Lih Shan is the music director of the Teochew Puppet and Opera House and founded the Gaik Lai Teochew Puppet Troupe in 2014 with his wife, Goey Paik Wei. His children are also involved in the family business.
Goh Sin Ee, 24, is a mainstay in the Gaik Lai Teochew Puppet Troupe, where she performs in female and young male roles, Goh Sin Jie, 23, inherited Toh's drum skills and is seen as the future guardian of the Goh family troupe, while the youngest, Goh Yi Han, 18, is proficient in the yangqin and suona (Chinese oboe) and hopes to carry on his father's legacy in Teochew music.
The Goh family (back, from left): Lih Tat, Toh, Sin Ee, Yi Han, Goh Shan and Ling Goh; front: Sin Jie.
After Ling decided to focus more on Teochew opera, Lih Tat took over as director of Kim Giak Low Choon Teochew Puppet Troupe.
All three siblings are involved in some way or another with the Teochew Puppet and Opera House, including teaching classes and conducting workshops in skills such as body movement, Teochew opera singing, Teochew drum and percussion, Teochew folk music and opera make-up.
In George Town, they currently have 40 students who regularly attend classes and train with them.
'We hope to one day open a centre for teaching Teochew arts,' says Ling.
She adds that the path to mastering the performing arts is long.
'This form of traditional art isn't just about technique – it's about knowing the history and meaning behind it.
'Chinese opera stories often carry moral lessons, so understanding them is part of the craft. Even as a master, you never stop learning,' says Ling.
Carrying the torch
However, Ling laments over how interest in Chinese performing arts has faded over time.
'We often perform at Chinese temples (in Penang and nearby states) for special occasions, such as Chinese New Year or Hungry Ghost Festival. But it's quite sad to see that fewer and fewer people are going to see these art forms.
"Younger generations often view them as 'old school'. But traditional doesn't have to be dry or boring. That's why we try to find ways to push the art form beyond its boundaries by innovating and modernising in order to connect to new audiences,' says Ling.
In 'Maestro Of Paper Shadows', audiences get a taste of Teochew puppetry, opera and music.
In its shows, the troupe has used state‑of‑the‑art special effects and collaborated with other art forms, including Mak Yong and contemporary dance.
It also often travels to Kuala Lumpur to visit high schools and universities, aiming to spark an interest in Teochew performing arts among Malaysian youths and connect with new audiences.
Ling, the producer of Maestro Of Paper Shadows, hopes that those who have never experienced Teochew puppetry and opera before will come for the PJPAC show.
'My mum often says that she wants to continue practicing the arts until the very end. I hope the show will give the audience some food for thought on the kind of passion and sacrifice it takes to dedicate your entire life to the arts, especially in something as niche as Teochew puppetry and opera.
'As a family, we want to keep that fire burning – not just for ourselves, but because it is our culture, our traditions, our heritage,' she concludes.
Maestro Of Paper Shadows is showing at Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC), 1Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya on Aug 6, 8pm. More info:
