Hsu Hsiu-nien's involvement with Taiwanese opera was no accident. When she was young, her parents separated; her mother went to work backstage with an opera troupe, bringing Hsu and her brothers along with her. There, they prepared meals and washed costumes.
由於童生戲不講究唱腔，未受過專業訓練者亦可勝任；且當時童生戲多半由大人扮演，總嫌矯揉，許秀年童稚的純真，及聰明伶俐的模樣，大為討好，頗造成一番轟動。