Wayang also lives within the cultural dialogue between Java and China. In Yogyakarta, Chinese-Indonesian artist Gan Thwan Sing (1925) introduced Thiti Puppets, later known as Wacinwa (Wayang Kulit Cina Jawa). He adapted Chinese legends such as the story of Sie Jin Kui, but narrated them in Javanese. The result was a performance that felt both local and transnational—easy to follow, rich in visual detail, and deeply loved by its audience.
Chinese-Javanese Echoes
Gan’s legacy was later continued by Woro, an artist and researcher who rediscovered 19 Chinese-Javanese manuscripts that had remained untouched for decades. “When I found them, it felt like a treasure hunt,” she said. These texts used Chinese names transliterated into Javanese script with vocal markers—puzzling even for students of Chinese studies. The language, like the puppets themselves, had been hybridized. “These are Hok Kian names, Javanized,” Woro explained. “No one knew how to read them, not even my lecturers.”
In 2014, puppeteer Aneng staged Wacinwa based on a comic-style narrative of Sie Jin Kui’s first encounter with his wife. However, practical challenges arose—no puppets were available for the performance, and borrowing from the museum proved impossible. So Aneng built his own, taller and more functional for stage use, yet still true to the spirit of Gan Thwan Sing’s originals. “You can’t always wait for institutions to approve,” he said. “Sometimes, you have to create your own tradition.”
Gallery
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