The video called 蝗虫天下 (Locust World) is apparently not new, since I noticed that one of the videos was posted on Youtube almost a year ago in 2011. However, it seems to have become rather popular,after some third rate academic called Kong Qingdong [孔庆东] ridiculed the rule of law in Hong Kong and called Hong Kongers “dogs” on a TV program. This shameless fellow later denied doing so, even though there is a video which showed it to be otherwise. How did such a shameless charlatan become a professor at Beijing University is beyond me.
I decided to listen to it after I read that Hong Kongers surrounded some tourists from mainland China and sang this song in their faces. I end up listening to this song a few times, not because I agree with it but rather I do not fully understand some of the nuances in Cantonese that is specific to Hong Kong. However, I can feel the underlying outrage, sadness and grief beneath the lyrics and empathise with the singer the more I listened to it because I am also Cantonese.
While it may not be politically correct for me to say this, I felt many foreigners here are nothing more than economic locusts. They (or our government) can argue they contribute to building our nations, but it’s not like these people are not getting their own “pound of flesh” and some other benefits in return. After all, we are one of the best places for expatriates. No?
Just like how Hong Kongers felt outraged by pregnant women who gave birth in Hong Kong hospitals and then not pay up, do we not all also feel the same when one of the Westerners jumped bail after beating up one of our cabbies? Are we not angry to know that a so-called diplomat fled home after a fatal hit-and-run accident? Have we forgotten “Cook a pot of Curry Day”? Some of the things which are true in the context of the Hong Kongers are also true for us. With a little modification to the lyrics, this song may even be suitable to us when we consider the impact of foreigners (and not just those from China) to ours lives here.
Fortunately for us, our annoyance with foreigners have not yet boiled over. Even if it has, Singaporeans generally suffers in silence and complain later. But for the benefit of our fellow non-Chinese citizens, I have translated the lyrics of this song to the best of my efforts below to help them understand the Hong Kongers’ grievances. (There is also version of this video in Youtube with English subtitles as well. It more or less means the same.)
蝗虫你的确欠打 巴士港铁小巴
餐厅酒店商铺内乱叫喧哗
“Locusts”, you really deserved a beating! Because you make a din on the buses, in the MTR, restaurants, pubs and shops.
难道你不觉丑吗 街边点烟牟下
跟手畀个苏虾将金满地洒
Don’t you feel awkward, when you light up and squat down, and then let a little child shit all over the floor?
其实见这个国家 偷呃拐骗到家
高呼一句中国人谁人亦怕
The truth is, this country is master in thievery, deception, kidnapping and cheating, just exclaiming “Chinese!” (as in mainlander Chinese) scares everyone.
虫国化名支那 一早丑遍东亚
The “locust nation” nicknamed “Cina” has already disgusted the whole of East Asia.
一天一句普通话将我同化
Assimilates me with one sentence of Putonghua (Mandarin) everyday.
来香港闯我边境 爱侵占地盘是你本性
寄生到身份终可以得确认
Invade across our borders and it is your nature to squat on territory you don’t belong until you are recognised (as a resident).
蝗虫大肚像异型 怀孕入境却未停
无人能阻止它抢获身份证
Even those pregnant to the point of looking like “Aliens” (the Sigourney Weaver kind) are not stopped by immigration, and no one could stop them (the babies) from getting an (Hong Kong) ID
虫卵在医院孵化侵占病床后再走数
你可会悲哀中感到很愤怒
After giving birth and occupying the hospital beds, they left without paying. Do you (Hongkongers) feel outrage amidst your sadness?
其实下两代前途 全部被侵蚀未嫌早
What really at stake is the future of the next two generations.
设下这圈套 每天讲中国多好 对着我洗脑
And a trap is set, telling me how good China is everyday to brainwash me.
谁在我境里放声 不懂分寸叫嚣
不可一世口气大话语轻佻
如没有中国关照 香港已经死了
Who yells within my borders, and boast without restraint? Who arrogantly and frivolously proclaimed, that without China’s patronage Hong Kong will be long dead?
香港都算多得中国唔少
Indeed Hong Kong has ‘benefit much from China’ (sarcasm)
虫没有所谓最丑 根本只有更丑
If you think you have seen the worst, you haven’t seen nothing yet.
周街剥裤解决后仍然未够
It isn’t enough that they just pee right by the road side
无论打尖放飞剑 都不感到丢脸
They aren’t even ashamed when they cut queue and spit in public
天天谴责得多都感到烦厌
It becomes bothersome and irritating to condemn such actions everyday.
如今的这个香港 已给那害虫逐寸收购
叹息着当天光辉已经过后
Hong Kong is slowly bought over inch by inch by the pests and we can only lament that its past glory is gone.
平民汗血尚在流 蝗虫就抢尽食油
The commoners are still sweating and bleeding, while the “locusts” grab all the cooking oil.
谁能憑战意将狮子山拯救
Who can redeem our Lion Rock (i.e. Hong Kong)?
难保有天把假货中国运来让你选购
把假货于香港黑店中发售
It won’t be a surprise when one day China’s fake goods will be shipped to Hong Kong, and sold in the dodgy shops.
无视你拼命跪求 蝗虫乱港亦未停手
You plea on your knees will be disregarded, and the “locusts” will not stop in messing up Hong Kong.
假面包假奶
假鸡蛋假醋假酒
你能说都有
Fake bread, milk, eggs, vinegar and alcohol. What you can name, there is.
谁都惊恐有天灾 对匪国暴民又要捐送
Everyone fears natural disasters, because that means donations to the “bandit nation”.
这可算香港给中国的作用
This must count as Hong Kong’s contribution to China.
财物尽献奉害虫 平民越捐就越穷
谁人能教教我怎么不悲痛
When all our possession are donated to the “pests” while our poor gets poorer the more they donate, who can teach me how not to feel grieved?
何解在香港的我超过十年被你呃透
For more than 10 years I have been deceived through and through.
假中有假 香港怎会可接受
Hong Kong can no longer tolerate all these falsehood within falsehood.
穷人就闭目泪流 蝗虫就赶极亦唔走
The poor weeps with shut eyes, and yet the “locusts” just won’t leave no matter how hard we try and drive them away
炒地都不够
炒车炒水货炒楼
Not only do they speculate in land, they speculate in cars, luxury goods and property,
佔尽我所有
they robbed me of everything.
往日靠打拼
港英的繁华光景
再没有保证
The prosperity that was achieved in the days of British Hong Kong is no longer assured.