Hong Kong authorities bar two independent bookstores—Elmbook and Luckwin—from participating in the annual Hong Kong Book Fair as it opens this week, according to reporting across sources. The bookstores are not allowed to exhibit, starting from July 2. Elmbook later announces it will close in April 2027, when its current lease ends.
Authorities do not publicly state the reason for the ban. Beijing-controlled media instead accuse independent bookstores of selling books that “smear” and promote “soft resistance” against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments. The broader enforcement pattern includes recent criminal cases: authorities arrest Book Punch’s Pong Yat-ming in March and Hunter Bookstore’s Leticia Wong in June on charges of “sedition.” Both cases reportedly relate to a Jimmy Lai biography. Wong previously faced arrest after activities connected to book sales.
The sources also describe a wider climate of censorship and pressure since Hong Kong’s 2020 National Security Law. They cite past actions involving bookstore chains and independent booksellers, along with library removals of “sensitive” titles and other regulatory scrutiny, including tax audits and fines for permit-related violations. Some bookstores close after warning letters and complaints, while others reopen or hold alternative events, the sources say.
