Teochew Puppet & Opera House — Attraction in George Town

The worst experience. They have this Indian lady standing outside the museum, stopping people on the sidewalk and aggressively hard-selling tickets. We were interested in Teochew culture, so we agreed to the RM10 tour.

After we entered, she guided us through each section, but rushed us and even yelled when we wanted to spend a few extra moments reading the descriptions. Later, she showed us how to play the puppet, rude as expected but then suddenly yelled at us to take over and scolded us for not doing it properly. She even forced one of us to take pictures???

On the positive side, I can see that the museum handles its collection with authenticity. The narrative is very detailed and easy to understand with a solid background context. I can see why this place deserves the high rating, if without someone interrupting the experience. It's a shame to see someone who clearly isn’t interested in the culture working in such a position.

I understand it is very hard to maintain a high rating, but I hope the management can look at this matter seriously. Once I receive a response explaining how the situation was addressed, I’ll be happy to...

One of the hidden gems along Lebuh Armenian! The museum is on the peaceful side, being totally empty when we walked in on a Sunday afternoon, so you can certainly take your time. It's also super accessible for everyone: Chinese and non-Chinese, groups and solo visitors. Our lovely guide, who spoke in English and Chinese, was both approachable and informative, encouraging us to interact with the puppets and helping us take photos in costume. For 25RM per adult, it's well worth the price for an hour's visit.

Even if you're already well-versed in Teochew performing arts, I'd still strongly recommend going for the personal history attached to it. The museum is also a love letter from the founder to the performers in her family, with many artefacts being inherited from previous generations. If you're in the area, definitely consider...

Loved it! The guide gave a rather comprehensive tour explaining the Teochew puppet and opera history, different types of puppets, and even how the puppets were made. Hands-on experience of operating the old Teochew puppets is available for free! You can also wear some opera clothing for pictures and see how the stage and backstage of a Teochew opera looks like (as part of the tour). There are also Teochew opera performances a few times every month inside the museum (they can tell you the date of the next performance if you ask). The director of the museum is the fourth generation to do Teochew opera and the family's history is also shared in the tour. They offer long-term classes (over years) for learning Teochew opera as well (with opportunities to actually perform in performances across Malaysia). Very...