After World War II came to an end in 1945, the colonial Hong Kong government issued "ad hoc" licenses to families of deceased and injured civil servants, allowing them to operate food stalls in public and thereby earn a living. This type of license was physically considerably larger than the ones normally issued, as a photograph of the licensee was required to appear on them. The licence, therefore, was jocularly called ""dai pai"" (big license) by the locals. From then on, the "big license stalls" began to flourish on every busy street and lane in Hong Kong.