Then in 1985 a wind of change from mainland China began to blow through the ko-tzai-hsi scene in Singapore, with brilliant performances from a series of top quality Xiang opera troupes on tour from Zhangzhou and Xiamen in Fujian province. It was an eye-opening period for Singapore audiences, and Sim was captivated. When she came to set up her own opera troupe she thus decided to name it "Xiang Opera."
直到一九八五年，新加坡歌仔戲開始刮起大陸風，水準一流的國家級福建漳州、廈門等薌劇團陸續前來公演，精彩演出讓新加坡人耳目一新，也令沈秋月深深地著迷，因此在組織劇團時，決定以「薌劇」為名。