During the era of Japanese administration and afterward, troupes from the mainland frequently crossed the Taiwan Strait to perform. The Gu Troupe, led by Gu Zheng-chou, for example, was once all the rage.
而追溯源頭，平劇在清末時就傳入台灣，日據時代及台灣光復後，也陸續有大陸團體渡海公演，如顧正秋領銜的「顧劇團」就曾經風靡一時。