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Hawking was a quick way for immigrants with little skill or capital to earn a living. Street hawkers were thus a common sight in Singapore up to the 1930s when they were relocated into specially-built food centres.

This sculpture shows a hawker selling homemade noodles with fish balls, a dish that remains popular to this day. This hawker would attract customers by striking a hardwood rod against a bamboo stick, making a rhythmic 'tick tock' sound to announce his presence. As such, he was colloquially called 'the tick tock man'.

Artist: Lee Yun Lung (Taiwan)

28 December, 1999