As early as 1835 there can be found a record of "three performances of puppet theater" in the accounts of Tainan's Wu Temple, early puppet theater being no different from other types of performing arts in its being performed for temple ceremonies.
道光十五年（西元一八三五年），台南武廟建醮的收支紀錄中，已有「開演傀儡班三台，銀八元九角四尖四」的記載。