BBC News Tiếng Việt
·25 Aug 2026
Bookstores That Help Chinese People Question Their Country Are Being Shut Down
Independent bookstores in Hong Kong that served readers from both Hong Kong and mainland China are facing raids, arrests, criticism and closures as enforcement of national security laws intensifies. Police arrested the owners or staff of Hunter, Book Punch, Greenfield and Have a Nice Stay on allegations including sedition and money laundering; the suspects deny the charges and were released on bail. Readers describe the stores as rare spaces for accessing censored histories, including the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, and for finding community and freer political discussion. Beijing-linked criticism and increasingly unpredictable red lines have encouraged self-censorship, while economic pressures have accelerated closures. Despite the decline, readers and publishing professionals say buying and reading such books remain quiet forms of resistance.