Beyond 'Only Red Flowers Bloom': BBC Lists Banned Books Under Hong Kong National Security Law

Hong Kong's independent bookstores are facing increasing scrutiny under the National Security Law, with authorities conducting searches and making arrests over alleged seditious materials. This year alone, national security police have raided four independent bookstores, arresting 11 individuals. Police stated they seized "seditious books" during these operations, though specific titles have not been officially disclosed.

The BBC Chinese service has chronicled the escalating book censorship in Hong Kong since the implementation of the National Security Law in June 2020. While officials, including Security Secretary Tang Ping-chiang, maintain the government does not maintain a "banned book list" and that the law clearly defines sedition, bookstore operators report a lack of clear guidelines. They describe a climate where books deemed problematic by the authorities can lead to arrest without prior warning.

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It's unbelievable.

Since the law's enactment, various books have been removed from public libraries and book fairs. Initially, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department removed nine books, citing potential violations of the National Security Law. These included works on local discourse, democracy activism, and personal resistance. Over the years, nearly 200 items have been removed, primarily targeting works by political scholars and pro-democracy figures, as well as materials related to the Tiananmen Square crackdown and critical analyses of China.

The situation has intensified following the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in March 2024. Recent raids have targeted bookstores like "One Punch Bookstore" and "Hunter Bookstore," with their operators arrested under sedition charges. Notably, Mark Clifford, former director of the Hong Kong Free Press, commented on the seizure of his biography of Jimmy Lai, sarcastically pointing out the paradox of "Mein Kampf" being available while Lai's biography could lead to a seven-year prison sentence.

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Hong Kong bookstores can sell Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' but selling 'The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Uprising' could lead to seven years in prison.