HKFP Lens: Hong Kong holds annual book fair as independent booksellers face exclusion, legal woes

Hong Kong’s book lovers are packing the city’s book fair, an annual event run by a government-established statutory body. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. The locations where booths of independent booksellers once stood have been turned into reading areas this year. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) event took place in the backdrop of national security raids and arrests at two independent bookstores, while two others were reportedly banned from taking part in the fair. On Wednesday, the first day of the fair, police searched Have a Nice Stay and Greenfield and arrested five operators were for alleged sedition. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. The locations where booths of independent booksellers once stood have been turned into reading areas this year. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Last month, local media reported that bookstores Elmbook and Luck Win were disqualified by the fair’s organisers despite obtaining prior approval to participate. The two long-running bookshops had been frequent exhibitors at the book fair. Both declined to comment, while the HKTDC said it would not discuss individual cases, according to local media. Elmbook later announced the decision to shut down its 29-year-old physical store in Mong Kok and is holding a clearance sale. A child wears a virtual reality headset at the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “Hundreds of boxes of new books have arrived in Hong Kong, and we look forward to welcoming book lovers for a treasure hunt,” it said. At this year’s book fair, the booths that were previously assigned to Elmbook and Luck Win were turned into reading areas. Meanwhile, a few titles were banned from being sold, including a poetry collection by Hong Kong writer Tang Siu-wa and a fiction title by John Chan, Ming Pao reported. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The city’s security minister Chris Tang bought books at the fair on Wednesday, according to his Facebook page. Apart from two titles written by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Tang also purchased a book on Labubu and another about Hong Kong cuisine. This year’s book fair will run until next Tuesday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. A poster featuring Mao Zedong is displayed at the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. A booth at the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, displays a five-volume collection of speeches and writings by Chinese President Xi Jinping on the governance of China, on July 15, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 15, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. The screen in the photo is showing an animation, with the subtitle reading: “‘The earlier the reunification, the better,’ he muses.” Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. People attend the Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Hans Tse is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in local politics, academia, and media transformation. He was previously a social science researcher, with writing published in the Social Movement Studies and Social Transformation of Chinese Societies journals. He holds an M.Phil in communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Before joining HKFP, he also worked as a freelance reporter for Initium between 2019 and 2021, where he covered the height - and aftermath - of the 2019 protests, as well as the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. More by Hans Tse