In 1967, Chang Hsiu-yun, her teacher, left the company in a fit of pique. The opera Hua Mu-lan, about a legendary woman warrior, was scheduled next, and with no one to be found for the lead role, the lively and nimble Wang Hai-ling, who was skilled at both singing and kungfu parts, was picked to fill in.
民國五十六年，張岫雲老師因故負氣離開豫劇隊，隊上貼演「花木蘭」在即，臨時找不到遞補人選，機靈活潑、能文能武的王海玲就這麼被提調上來，忽地躍上枝頭，擔綱主角。