Hong Kong Bookstore Loses Lease After Landlord Reports Threats Following National Security Arrests

A Hong Kong independent bookstore whose owners were arrested earlier this year under the city's national security laws says it will have to leave its current location after its landlord declined to renew the lease, the latest setback for the city's shrinking network of independent booksellers. Hunter Bookstore, in Hong Kong's Sham Shui Po district, said Sept. 2 that its lease will expire on Feb. 27, 2027, and that it had been told it could not renew at the site, according to the bookstore's announcement reported by the Central News Agency. The store said it was concerned about the uncertainty but suggested it would seek a way forward. 'We cannot say there is no concern about the changes, but at the same time change also represents opportunity,' the store said, asking what a possible 'Hunter 3.0' might look like. Store operator Leticia Wong Man-huen, a former district councillor and member of the now-disbanded Civic Party, told Hong Kong's InMediaHK that the landlord said he had received a large number of threatening letters following the arrests of Wong and another proprietor. 'We're just doing normal business. Why should someone receive threatening letters just for renting a shop to us?' Wong said. She said the bookstore had not yet decided whether it would seek another location. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTER For the best of our weekly content！ There is something wrong, please try again later By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy , and to receive messages from Vision Times. SIGN UP Success You are now signed up for our newsletter Success Check your email to complete sign up Arrests preceded loss of lease Hong Kong national security police raided Hunter Bookstore on June 24 and arrested its owner, former district councillor Leticia Wong Man-huen, 33, and a 32-year-old man identified in later local reports only by the surname Mak. Police described both as proprietors of the bookstore. In an official statement, Hong Kong police alleged that the two displayed items and sold publications containing 'seditious content,' including material authorities said was intended to incite hatred against the Hong Kong government, judiciary and law enforcement agencies. Police also alleged the pair had received multiple remittances funded by foreign political organizations. They were arrested on suspicion of violating Section 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and money-laundering provisions of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance. The pair were released on bail two days later, the South China Morning Post reported. Neither allegation has resulted in a conviction. Hunter Bookstore is now holding a clearance event involving independent publishers as it prepares for the end of its lease. InMediaHK reported that nearly 1,000 books from 15 local independent publishers were being offered during the sale. The bookstore's uncertain future comes amid a broader contraction of Hong Kong's independent bookselling sector. An Associated Press report published in late August found that four independent bookstores had been targeted by police in four months: Book Punch in March, Hunter Bookstore in June, and Greenfield Book Store and Have A Nice Stay in July. People browse books inside the independent bookstore 'Have A Nice Stay' on its final day of operation, in Hong Kong on August 30, 2026. (Image: Leung Man Hei / AFP via Getty Images) Other independent bookstores close Have A Nice Stay, an independent bookstore founded by former journalists, closed permanently on Aug. 30 after four years in business. The bookstore had already announced its planned closure on July 14, citing financial difficulties, changes in Hong Kong's social environment and what it called 'elusive red lines.' The following day, national security police raided it and nearby Greenfield Book Store. Hong Kong police said in a July 15 government statement that officers arrested two men and three women after searching two Mong Kok shops. Authorities alleged that the stores displayed items with seditious intent and sold publications intended to incite hatred against the government, judiciary and law enforcement agencies. The government did not name the stores in that statement, but Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK identified them as Have A Nice Stay and Greenfield Book Store. Police seized books as evidence. The five suspects were subsequently released on bail. Crowds lined up to visit Have A Nice Stay during its final day on Aug. 30. Reuters reported that customers queued down the staircase leading to the roughly 600-square-foot bookstore, with only 20 people allowed inside at a time. The store had briefly reopened for a final clearance sale after remaining closed for several weeks following the July raid. Greenfield Book Store, meanwhile, announced July 29 that it would close when its lease expires. Founded in 1976, the shop has operated for about 50 years and specializes in humanities and social-science titles, according to the South China Morning Post and the Central News Agency. Another independent shop, Elmbook, announced July 8 that it would close its physical store when its lease expires in April 2027. The bookstore, which opened in 1997, said it had participated in the Hong Kong Book Fair every year but was unable to take part this year. HK01 reported that its eligibility for the fair had been canceled. READ MORE: National security law reshapes bookselling The pressure on independent bookstores became more visible earlier this year. In March, Hong Kong police arrested Book Punch owner Pong Yat-ming and three employees over allegations that the store sold seditious publications, including The Troublemaker, a biography of jailed Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai written by Mark Clifford, according to Reuters. Under Hong Kong's locally enacted national security legislation, commonly known as Article 23, an offense involving seditious intent can carry up to seven years in prison, or up to 10 years when authorities establish collusion with an external force. The Hong Kong government maintains that its national security laws are necessary to preserve stability and that protections for freedom of speech and publication remain in place. The government told AP that the laws expressly protect criticism and expressions of opinion that do not cross into prohibited conduct. Booksellers and critics, however, say uncertainty over what authorities consider seditious has produced a chilling effect. Hong Kong Security Secretary Chris Tang has said there will be no official list of banned books and that booksellers are responsible for ensuring the material they sell does not violate national security law. Hong Kong's remaining independent bookstores face mounting pressure as arrests, closures and lost leases narrow one of the few spaces where readers can still find politically sensitive books unavailable in mainland China.For Hong Kong's remaining independent bookstores, the arrests and closures are narrowing a sector that for decades offered titles difficult or impossible to obtain in mainland China. AP reported that the stores have remained particularly important to mainland Chinese visitors seeking books about subjects ranging from the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown to contemporary Chinese politics.