It is said that during the dynasty period, the emperor's concubines were the only ones who had the luxury of consuming such treats (the sweet were called Gui Fei and were traditionally made from glutinous rice, white sugar and maple syrup). When I was a kid, I remember the ting ting candy sellers would pedal their bicycles around and try to attract the attention of customers hopefully by knocking the metal chisel and hammer together. It's still pretty much the same modus operandi; just that they now travel around on motorcycles, with the candy trays resting on the back of the motorcycles.
