The resurgence was led by players such as Chang Hsiu-yu, Wu Wen-chia, and Chuang Shu-hua, who hail from rural districts in central and southern Taiwan, where table tennis never lost its appeal.
和一些單項相同，桌運的基石也在中小學，其中又以新竹、台中、南投及南部各縣為重鎮。青少年好手則以北市的笠山及南市的忠孝國中，為南北兩霸。一些偏遠地區學校，也頻出好手，如張秀玉、莊淑華出身竹山瑞竹國小，吳文嘉在南縣廣山國小成長，林麗如來自苗栗月眉國小等。