Hong Kong's Have a Nice Stay Bookstore Closes After Police Raid, Drawing Long Queues
SCMP · 1 SOURCES1 day ago1 MIN
Summary
An independent Hong Kong bookstore has closed its doors six weeks after national security police conducted a raid, drawing long queues of customers on its final day following four years in operation. Have a Nice Stay, located on the third floor of a Prince Edward tenement building, shut at 9pm on Sunday after clearing remaining stock during a brief reopening period from Wednesday through Sunday. The closure came after five people, including staff and co-founder Sum Wan-wah, were detained in a mid-July operation and later released on bail.
Key Points
- The bookstore was founded in 2022 by five former journalists after the media organisations they had worked for closed .
- National security officers raided Have a Nice Stay alongside nearby Greenfield Bookstore in mid-July over allegations of acts with seditious intent .
- Five people were detained including three women aged 30 to 59 and two men aged 37 and 57, all later released on bail .
- Customers waited up to 45 minutes to enter the third-floor shop on Sunday, its final day of operation .
- Inside the cramped shop, customers browsed books on journalism, Hong Kong history and current affairs while only cash was accepted .
Why It Matters
The closure highlights the ongoing challenges facing Hong Kong's independent bookstores amid heightened political scrutiny, with readers demonstrating continued demand for alternative voices despite increasing restrictions on press freedom .
The closure highlights the ongoing challenges facing Hong Kong's independent bookstores amid heightened political scrutiny, with readers demonstrating continued demand for alternative voices despite increasing restrictions on press freedom .