{
  "id": 11069974,
  "title": "The Peranakan Chinese family keeping wayang kulit in the spotlight",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/the-peranakan-chinese-family-keeping-wayang-kulit-in-the-spotlight",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/10/01/the-peranakan-chinese-family-keeping-wayang-kulit-in-the-spotlight"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kang Boon Ann, known as Che Ann, has dedicated his life to preserving the wayang kulit tradition in Kelantan. Growing up in Kok Lanas, Che Ann was first introduced to the art by his grandmother during village performances after harvest season. His fascination with wayang kulit continued in his youth, as he sketched the puppets in his school exercise books. Now 58, Che Ann is a Peranakan Chinese and the founder of the Sri Cindayu Wayang Kulit Association. He has spent decades learning and performing the craft, passing it on to his family. After working as a mechanic, Che Ann met his first teacher, the late tok dalang Dollah Baju Merah, who taught him puppet-making. Che Ann later learned performance from another puppeteer, Dollah Ramboo, and further honed his skills under craftsman Yusoff Mamat. In 2005, Che Ann began training his family in the tradition, starting with his wife and children. Today, almost the entire production can be handled by family members. Che Ann's daughter, Lily, began training at 14 and is now known as Lily. She and her brother, Aaren, continue to perform and teach others. The family also uses social media, like TikTok, to introduce wayang kulit to younger audiences and conducts workshops at educational institutions. Che Ann believes that preserving the art does not require everyone to become puppeteers, but rather that people should know about wayang kulit to appreciate and preserve it themselves.",
  "summary": "For Kang Boon Ann and his children, preserving the art means mastering its music, puppetry and storytelling while finding new ways to reach younger audiences.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "The Peranakan Chinese family keeping wayang kulit in the spotlight",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/the-peranakan-chinese-family-keeping-wayang-kulit-in-the-spotlight-11071332",
        "published": "2026-10-01T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}