(Started writing this last Sunday when it was stormy.)
Stormy Sunday, time to blog about some Cantonese slang. I don't know why it propped up in my mind all of a sudden today while I was doing the dishes.
"The dragon that crossed the river is not as good as the local snakes." Yes, it does sound weird when I translate it this way, but let me explain. Here, the dragon that crossed the river means people from out-of-town or other countries. "Dragon" shows that they are hardworking and industrious. "Local snake" means locals, who maybe less industrious.
Early years when China's coastal towns were opened and started booming, a lot of people moved from the country side or the north to the south for better opportunities. This phase was being used a lot when comparing the success of out-of-towners with locals.
To be fair, a lot of industrious out-of-towners did make it well in the south, so no, this saying is not definitive at all. It was just used to say that locals have the initial advantage knowing the town and connections, but after that everything is fair game, and whoever work hard will make it doesn't matter where they are from.
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