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Hong Kong’s bookshops, losing readers and struggling through economic slump, try to read between ‘red lines’ of national security law
- San Po Kong independent bookshop the latest to close, with owner blaming ‘the state of politics’
- Worrying about national security law, some booksellers wish for clear guidelines on what titles to avoid
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Some independent bookshops in Hong Kong are feeling the chilling effect of the national security law, with one announcing it will shut down, and others taking more care with the titles on their shelves.
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Bleak House Books, a popular independent store in San Po Kong specialising in English titles, announced its closure in August, after four years in business. Its last day will be on Friday.
Owner Albert Wan, a Chinese-American lawyer turned bookseller, blamed politics for his decision to close, and will be leaving the city with his wife and two young children.
“Given the state of politics in Hong Kong, [we] can no longer see a life for ourselves and our children in this city,” he wrote.
Wan also wrote that what he and his family did in their daily lives “was not overtly political”. They have been in Hong Kong for about five years.
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The Post contacted Wan to request an interview, but did not get a response.
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