About 弄

Underneath the 4th ring road in Kunming
Underneath the 4th ring road in Kunming

About World of Nonging

I’m a freelance translator, copywriter and occasional journalist. I’m based in Kunming, Yunnan, China, where I’m studying the Chinese language. Very fond of biking, I’ve explored large swathes of south-east Asia and south-west China on a push bike. I’m particularly interested in learning about new languages, cultures and getting a little workout in. But when I’m not in the saddle and not wasting time browsing the internet, I like to write.

Finding an outlet for one’s writings is ever more difficult these days, so I decided to publish on my own blog what I cannot sell to any publications. Nong (Chinese: 弄) is the Mandarin passe-partout word for doing, messing, or fiddling around. Since this blog has no clearly delineated purpose, but rather likens the scruffy folder you toss anything in that you’d like to read later but never do, it is indeed a world of nonging. At the same time, it refers to the very make-shift attitude of the place and people around me. Many thanks to my friend Patrick Scally at GoKunming for making me discard all better-sounding names.

 

Sander Van de Moortel