Chinese opera apprentices at the time can be said to have practically been "brought up by the paddle." Training was a round-the-clock affair, and beatings were meted out regularly.
事隔十多年，王海玲回想起掉不出淚就挨打的往事，還覺得心有餘悸。事實上，豈只是「掉不出眼淚」要挨打，當年學戲生涯，除了物質上的窘迫，幾乎可說就是「板子」帶大的。