Chan Chau-choi, ice-cream and soft-drinks vendor Age: 41.
Career path: I was born and educated in Guangzhou. My wife came to Hong Kong after the birth of our third child in 1973, because we thought our children would have a better future here. I joined her in 1977. My first job here was in a handbag factory. Then I repaired small appliances for an electrical company. My uncle was a vendor and he told me there were worse ways to make a living, so in 1980 I bought a vendor's cart for $14,000. My hawker's licence is now $3,000 a year, but it was less when I started. My site was outside Queen's Theatre in Central until three years ago when I moved to Star Ferry, where I hope to stay.
Chan's day: I wake up at 7 am and go for yum cha at a restaurant near my home in North Point. A van collects me and my cart, which I store near my home overnight, and drops me off at Star Ferry, from where I wheel the cart to my regular spot near the subway. The first thing I do is unpack the stock I keep inside the cart and arrange my display. Before 10 am I receive a delivery of ice which I pack inside the cart to keep ice-cream and drinks cold. On a hot day, I buy more ice at lunchtime. Ice-creams are delivered daily, and I get regular deliveries of other stock, such as snacks, tissues, batteries and so on. My prices are quite low because I only put a 30 per cent mark-up on the goods I buy.
I work 365 days a year; business is particularly good at Lunar New Year and on public holidays. I only take a day off if I am too sick to get out of bed or when there is a typhoon. I pack up at around 8 pm and the van takes me home.
I like being my own boss and it is interesting watching people and chatting to those customers who have become friends. It does get hot during the summer, but I don't mind because the hotter it is the more business I get. Since the economy has taken a downturn, business isn't what it used to be because people think twice about having a drink or an ice-cream.
Salary: About $7,000 a month.
Ambition: I worry that the Government might revoke hawkers' licences because I would like to carry on doing this until I retire one day.