Maxwell Center is known for its Hokkien noodles and Hainanese chicken rice.

FORBES: Just the ticket

Neo's character, an unpolished Chinese-educated executive, speaks Mandarin with his wife, inadequate English in the office and Hokkien with his coffee-shop buddies.

CNN: THE MONEY POURS IN

Hokkien was chosen as a way to reach a different audience than the one drawn to the usual Western releases that make it to Singapore.

CNN: THE MONEY POURS IN

Dedicated to Ma Cho Po, goddess of the sea, it was built in the 1840s by early Hokkien immigrants from China in gratitude for safe passage to Singapore.

BBC: A perfect day in Singapore

"Nobody thought there was a market for Hokkien, " says Neo.

CNN: THE MONEY POURS IN

Money is in Hokkien - the earthy dialect of Singapore's street stalls and not something the crisply laundered members of the investing community are normally anxious to be associated with.

CNN: THE MONEY POURS IN

About a decade ago he opened a mall in Xiamen, China, not far from his ancestral home, taking advantage of his ties and the fact that he and all of his children are fluent in the Hokkien dialect, spoken in the Fujian province, where he was born.

FORBES: Magazine Article