The 36th Hong Kong Book Fair, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will be held from July 15 to 21. With this year's theme of "Cultural Legacy | Joyful Journeys", it stands as a major annual cultural mega-event.
However, the arrest of the manager of "Hunter Bookstore" in June for alleged sedition and money laundering indicates that "problematic bookstores" still exist in the market.
These entities engage in "soft resistance" under the banner of culture, utilizing books, exhibitions, and seminars to infiltrate anti-government ideologies.
Two bookstores -- namely "Luck Win Bookstore" and "Elm Book" -- were barred from participating in the Fair, highlighting the authorities' determination to safeguard a secure reading environment. The true value of the Hong Kong Book Fair lies in enlightening minds and passing on civilization, rather than being polluted by political manipulation.
Various sectors of society have emphasized that parents, the education sector, and the general public should heighten their vigilance to prevent anti-China and Hong Kong-disrupting elements from poisoning the younger generation under the guise of culture.
This year's book fair gathers over 770 exhibitors from nearly 30 countries and regions. It has also invited multiple highly influential writers from the Chinese-speaking world to host seminars. With over 600 activities held both inside and outside the venue, it promises to bring a diverse and rich cultural experience to the public.
As in previous years, the exhibition will attract a large number of citizens, youths, and parents, making it one of the most important annual cultural events in Hong Kong.
Leticia Wong Man-huen, the manager of "Hunter Bookstore" and a former Civic Party district councilor, along with her husband surnamed Mak, were arrested by police last month on suspicion of sedition and money laundering.
The store is suspected of selling seditious publications with the intent for a long period.
Recently, under the pretext of "raising awareness for student suicides," it hosted an exhibition filled with negative words such as "suffocation, pessimism, oppression, and contradiction," and set up a display imitating the "Lennon Walls" from the black-clad violence period to showcase seditious content.
Some teachers and social workers were allegedly misled into arranging for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) to visit the site, implanting an anti-government consciousness and inappropriate values into these immature students, causing profound harm.
This case has sparked strong concern across all sectors of society. Charles Wong Man-sing, Chief Executive of the Lok Kwan Social Service, bluntly criticized the event, stating that if an activity solely exaggerates despair and social pressure without providing positive coping mechanisms and channels for seeking help, it can easily trigger students to fall into depression and self-harm crises.
Even more worrying is that the exhibition was coordinated by individuals lacking professional social worker qualifications, making it doubtful whether there were any professional counselors on-site to provide explanations.
He appealed to families and schools to build a strict defense line by implementing background checks and professional assessments to prevent young children and teenagers from being poisoned.
These "problematic bookstores" openly sell banned books and even use seminars and exhibitions to attract youths, instilling extreme ideologies in them while their minds are still immature, leading to misguidance and even "brainwashing." Experts and parents have expressed widespread anxiety over this "soft resistance" infiltration hidden within society.
The rejection of the participation of "Luck Win Bookstore" and "Elm Book" in the book fair underscores the authorities' determination to guard a safe reading environment.
The social media records of both bookstores show that they actively supported the black-clad violence and strike actions, including distributing so-called "resistance" propaganda and publications for free in their stores during the unrest.
HKTDC noted that all matters related to exhibitors' participation are handled in accordance with the Terms of Application and Exhibition Rules & Regulations.
In the past, reporters who went to interview "Luck Win Bookstore" found that the shop openly displayed and sold multiple books smearing the Central and Special Administrative Region governments, such as "Hong Kong, My Love and Pain" authored by Yan Shun-kau, as well as a "Safety Protection Manual" advocating "resistance against the Central Government."
Signs prohibiting photography were also posted at the scene, clearly indicating underlying political motives.
"Elm Book," which was similarly barred from the exhibition, had previously invited individuals with anti-government backgrounds to host events.
This included former Legislative Councilor Shiu Ka-chun, who was convicted for his role in the illegal "Occupy Central" incident years ago.
He had even entered school campuses to hold book fairs, raising high suspicions about his political infiltration objectives.
Alvin Wan Chi-lun, a council member of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, recently wrote an article explicitly criticizing "Hunter Bookstore" for using the topic of suicide to infiltrate anti-government content.
He also supported to disqualify "Luck Win Bookstore" and "Elm Book" from the exhibition, reminding society that it must remain alert to the infiltration of "soft resistance."
The book fair is meant to be a platform for promoting reading and knowledge exchange; it absolutely must not degenerate into a venue for those with ulterior motives to spread extreme political messages and poison the younger generation.
A political figure stated that parents, the education sector, and all walks of society should heighten their vigilance and carefully scrutinize the backgrounds of booksellers, speakers, and events entering school campuses to prevent anti-China and Hong Kong-disrupting elements cloaked in culture from seizing opportunities.
Society must unanimously condemn those who vainly attempt to utilize cultural activities, use bookstores as a cover, and leverage exhibitions and seminars to spread hatred, mislead youths, or even manipulate the topic of suicide, warning them to behave themselves.
Any deceptive practices used to secretly peddle seditious publications could violate the Hong Kong National Security Law, bringing severe consequences.
