Hong Kong's independent bookshops face closure amid security law crackdown

Independent bookstores in Hong Kong, often tucked away in narrow staircases above busy streets, have long served as quiet refuges for readers — including mainland Chinese visitors seeking perspectives not available at home. But that role is now under strain as a wave of arrests under a 2024 national security law pushes several shops toward closure.

In recent months, police have targeted at least four bookstores. The 50-year-old Greenfield bookshop, one of those raided, announced it would close at the end of its lease. Another outlet, Have A Nice Stay, founded by former journalists, had already planned to shut down, citing financial difficulties and what it called "elusive red lines" — even before its booksellers were arrested on the same day as Greenfield's.

Authorities have accused some of the booksellers of selling seditious publications, including material said to incite hatred against the government, the judiciary, and law enforcement. Bail has been granted in at least one case, but the legal pressure has had a chilling effect.

One bookseller, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution, said it has become difficult to judge what might be considered seditious. The shop has grown more cautious about stocking books on China's modern politics, and the landlord is reconsidering whether to renew the lease.

Critics see the bookstore arrests as part of a broader crackdown on dissent that began with a separate security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. Authorities maintain that both laws are essential for stability.

As restrictions have tightened, Taiwanese publishers have stepped in to fill the gap. According to Cheng Tsu-Bang, a sociology professor at Tunghai University in Taiwan, Taiwanese publishers released six times as many books about Hong Kong between 2020 and 2024 as in the previous five years. Cheng said the situation for independent publishers is even more severe than for bookshops, with many unable to stay in business under the pressure.