Key facts
- Hong Kong's Have a Nice Stay bookstore closed on August 30.
- The bookstore cited poor business performance and financial pressures as reasons for closure.
- The store also mentioned uncertainty over its premises and Hong Kong's wider social environment.
- National security laws and the determination of 'red lines' were factors in the closure.
- The bookstore was formed by former journalists and media professionals.
- Three other bookstores were previously targeted by National Security Police for alleged seditious publications.
Hong Kong's independent bookstores, once vibrant spaces for civil society and diverse literature, are rapidly dwindling since Beijing imposed national security legislation in 2020. Have a Nice Stay, formed in 2022 by former journalists and media professionals, announced its closure on August 30, citing financial deficits, uncertainty over its premises, and the broader social and economic environment in Hong Kong. The bookstore stated it could no longer fulfill its mission of sharing knowledge from diverse perspectives, noting the difficulty in determining 'red lines' for book sales without clear government guidance. This follows previous actions by National Security Police against other bookstores accused of selling seditious material, and echoes the high-profile 2015 disappearances linked to the Causeway Bay Books store.