Ling Goh was born into a family of Teochew puppets and opera performers. Descended from an unbroken line of opera performers dating back to the nineteenth century, her great-grandparents, Yang Bing Jin and Li Yu Feng, were performers in China who came to Penang to continue the trade with their son, Yang Qing Ying, Goh’s grandfather.
In 1951 Goh’s mother, Toh Ai Hwa, was born. “It was not until the age of 12 that my mother entered the rich operatic world of Teochew puppetry and opera. She was making a living selling chicken eggs before a friend asked her to join the Lao Yong Siew Choon, a Teochew puppet opera troupe, as a gong player. Her daily wage was four dollars. Back then, one bowl of noodles was only selling for one cent. It was a lucrative business,” Goh says.
Over time, her mother became an indispensable part of the troupe. “When the troupe master passed away in 1989, he bequeathed his troupe to my mother because none of his offspring wanted to continue the business.
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