Mainlander Visitors To HK Book Fair Lament Hong Kong’s Loss of Freedom

The 33rd Hong Kong Book Fair opens for seven days at the Wanchai Convention and Exhibition Centre, on July 19, 2023. Kiri Choi/The Epoch Times

The 33rd Hong Kong Book Fair opens on July 19 for seven days at the Wanchai Convention and Exhibition Center. Books dealing with social movements’ politics are hardly to be found. Publishers banned from participating in last year’s fair remain conspicuous absentees this time. Some mainland visitors lamented the decline of freedoms in Hong Kong.

In addition, only a few booths were selling books that had previously been removed from public libraries, including the works of veteran media personality Mr. Allan Au Ka-lun, who appeared here specifically to sign autographs for his fans. He felt that making his books unavailable to the general public had created a chilling effect.

Sensitive Books on Politics Almost Non-Existent

As in previous fairs, the first thing one sees when entering the venue are the booths of “Sino United Publishing” and the like, where several books based on excerpts from Xi Jinping’s speeches are prominently displayed. Next to them are books on the “Basic Law” and the “National Security Law.” From time to time, passersby would stop and leaf through these books of Mr. Xi’s, but not many people bought them.