Hong Kong Bookshops Facing Censorship As Discourse Diminishes

Zhu observes that intellectual space within Hong Kong Bookshops is rapidly narrowing.

Consequently, she increasingly encounters state agents during visits to her stores—a trend more pronounced in Hong Kong than on the mainland. At one bookshop gathering, she recalled officials entering the venue simply to listen alongside patrons.

Recent enforcement actions extend beyond overtly political publications; a bookseller anonymous for safety warns that raids now target certain independent retailers.

A bookseller, speaking on condition of anonymity, adds that Luck Win Bookstore and Elmbook have long maintained a discreet presence, sparing seldom‑public statements or organized events. He insists none of their inventory could reasonably infringe upon governmental sensitivities.

Shortly before this year’s book fair, both establishments faced criticism in *Wen Wei Po*, a publication operating under Beijing’s liaison office in the territory. The outlet alleged responsibility for circulating works deemed promoters of “soft resistance,” citing *The Hong Kong Diaries*—authored by former Governor Chris Patten—and *300 Short Essays* by late Apple Daily correspondent Lee Yee. The newspaper was subsequently shuttered, and senior figures, notably owner Jimmy Lai, were incarcerated for breaching newly enacted security statutes.

“The authorities do not wish readers to know exactly where the boundaries are,” says Tong Kin‑long of University College London. “They want people to work out the red lines for themselves, or to censor themselves before crossing them.”

Watching these changes unfold in Hong Kong has felt strangely familiar to a man called K, early thirties and hailing from Sichuan.

He recalls a period when mainland China’s bookshops served as vibrant forums for public debate. Liberal titles and periodicals dominated the displays, and regular readings attracted large audiences. By roughly 2015, however, a noticeable tightening emerged.

Initially, books concerning China’s leadership were flagged; then other previously permissible volumes vanished. Public events dwindled, and the overall ambience shifted.

Zhu knows a colleague who manages a store in Guangzhou, where reports tell of police infiltrating the establishment to harass vendors. During certain screenings, lights have even been extinguished to disrupt the atmosphere.

“Hong Kong,” she remarks, “should remain a freer place.”

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