Final chapter for Hong Kong’s trade in banned books?
Disappearance of bookseller could rattle the city’s tradition of publishing books critical of the Chinese Communist Party
The disappearance of a Hong Kong bookseller could rattle the city’s tradition of publishing books critical of the Chinese Communist Party, local publishers fear.
They say the psychological impact will loom large on publishing strategy, but the effect will not be immediately felt as controversial titles will stay on the shelves.
“Those who came up with the idea of detaining publishers of controversial books are silly and childish,” says local publisher and author Wong Heung-ming, of Lee Bo, owner of Causeway Bay Books, whose whereabouts are unknown. The 65-year-old was last seen on Wednesday at the Chai Wan warehouse of Mighty Current, the company that owns his store.
“The act is likely to backfire as it will draw more defiance that at the end produces books that will unfold the truth,” Wong adds.
From the Cultural Revolution to the Tiananmen crackdown, Hong Kong has been a haven for supplying the world with non-official information on the mainland.
“We offer a mix of books on China, from newsy topics to academic volumes – the business has been good,” says Ngan Shun-kau, former chief editor and now senior adviser to Cosmos Books.
With Taiwan turning inward since the 1990s, Hong Kong’s role in China-watching has remained supreme even beyond the 1997 handover.
A new chapter in China books was ushered in in 2003 when the city opened its doors to mainland tourists visiting as individuals rather in group tours.
“Books with sensational titles, especially those on the top leaders and their private lives, have become lucrative, providing a steady revenue, first for book stores and then street newspaper vendors,” Ngan says.
Sales shoot up for books that are officially banned on the mainland.
“Banned books make up about 30 per cent of my current revenue,” says Billy, who has been selling banned books at his newspaper stand in Causeway Bay for a decade.
He recalls the big sales during the unfolding of the case of Bo Xilai (薄熙來), the flamboyant former Politburo member and Chongqing Party chief who was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 for corruption.
“When Bo Xilai’s drama was the talk of the town, banned book sales contributed up to 50 per cent of our income, but now, as not much striking news is in play and fewer mainlanders are coming, sales have been declining.”
“Some mainlanders found that forecasts by some banned books were later all confirmed to be true, so they turned to banned books to get a sense of what is going to happen next in China politics,” the book specialist says.
Jin Zhong – chief editor The Open Magazine and a publisher of over 30 banned books, including the Chinese translation of Jung Chang’s biography of Mao Zedong (毛澤東) – argues that the vogue for forbidden publications began with the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, but the repercussion was minimal.
“After an exodus of mainland student leaders and intellectuals in 1989, pro-democracy books critical of Beijing were on a rise in Hong Kong, but it hasn’t become big and did not cause any impact,” says Jin, a Hunan (湖南) native and Hong Kong citizen since 1980.
“Different factions and interest groups in Beijing sometimes use Hong Kong to disseminate information. There are some quite valuable books of this kind.”
He agrees it was Bo Xilai’s case that spurred demand for inside information. “The number of political magazines in Hong Kong went explosive surrounding Bo Xilai in 2012, growing from five up to almost 30. And the books came along,” he recalls.
“These books came out very fast. Some took less than a month to go on shelves, featuring all kinds of unverified gossip. But readers like them a lot.”
Billy, the vendor, says the books sold like hot cakes even though those “Lee has published are not considered very credible or fact-based by industry insiders”.
Terri Chan Kim-man, deputy general manager of Cosmos Books, says the company has been selective in putting titles on the shelves. “There are titles that we consider too sensational, such as those about mistresses – we won’t put that into the inventory.”
Titles from Lee Bo’s publishing house, she adds, are limited to just a few copies at her bookstore “because there are really lots of them coming out non-stop”, and they will remain on the shelves regardless of the recent incident.
“We continue to be open to our book selections because Hong Kong after all is the most free society in information flow and we should keep it that way.”
But other publishers hold a less optimistic view on the future.
“The whole thing is too opaque right now. Honestly, no one in the banned book industry can make sure they stay 100 per cent safe in Hong Kong. After all, Lee vanished right among us,” says bookstore owner Tang.
Jin Zhong takes a grim view. “The incident seems like a well-planned operation by Beijing. The aim is to contain publications in Hong Kong that are critical to Beijing without eradicating them entirely,” he says.
“Lee’s Causeway Bay Books was targeted because it has a lot of very critical books directed at the incumbent top leader. For the safety of my staff and family, I will try to strike a balance between publishing new books and trampling on landmines.”
Wong, the publisher and author, says he will remain critical as a dutiful Chinese national.
“As long as this remains an isolated case and not a stated policy, I will go on with my publishing works that are true to history and facts,” he says.
Veteran editor Ngan feels the incident could have been avoided. “They could have sued Lee for libel and defamation, which I think they could have a good case to win,” he says. “But kidnapping is a crime under any circumstances.”
