In contrast to the later improved forms of Taiwanese folk opera, the primitive genre is genuinely local. Its roots truly lie embedded in the valley of the Lanyang River that runs through the Ilan Plain.
有別於日後發展出的各種改良歌仔戲，最原始的歌仔戲便叫「本地歌仔」，因其草根性格，也有人管他叫「地瓜戲」。