Wikipedia describes char kway teow as originally sold by fishermen, farmers and cockle-gatherers as evening hawker food, and notes its later 20th-century popularization, but gives no year or period for when the dish itself first took shape.
What would resolve this A food-history source dating when char kway teow emerged as a distinct hawker dish among Teochew and Hokkien communities, rather than only its later, better-documented 20th-century spread.
Openfood historyChar Kway Teow (Wikipedia)