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Hong Kong Book Fairi

The annual Book Fair is organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and takes place over several days. It launched in 1990.

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Almost 1 million people attended the event, a welcome return to pre-pandemic levels. And the fair also provided compelling evidence that enthusiasm for printed works still exists in the digital age.

If those attending Hong Kong’s biggest public gathering since the Covid-19 pandemic are kept safe, there will be no reason not to consider relaxing restrictions elsewhere

  • Recent months have seen well-known independent bookstores close in Hong Kong after they were suspected of breaking various laws
  • New bookstores exhibiting novel business models are emerging, including one that recently opened in a wet market

Hong Kong Trade Development Council says attendees spent HK$872 on average at joint event comprising book fair, Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks.

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Number of attendees rose about 2.4 per cent from the 830,000 visitors at last year’s fair; customers spent an average of HK$879 at 2022 event.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang says many young people had wrong ideas about country and city government during 2019 social unrest and had to ‘bear the legal consequences’.

Historian Elizabeth Sinn argues that far from being shipped overseas as indentured labourers, Chinese emigrants to California chose to go there under their own steam.

Readers discuss how Boris Johnson’s tenure is an emblem of what is wrong with democracy, and why Hong Kong parents must go beyond buying exam workbooks to raise good learners.

As Hong Kong booksellers worry about national security law, popular independent San Po Kong store is latest to close, with owner blaming ‘the state of politics’.

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Despite a reduced presence, political titles from opposition figures still being sold at first book fair held since national security law came into effect.

Books at the seven-day fair will not be vetted or censored but publishers will have to participate within limits of the national security law, organiser says.

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Seven-day fair will be held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 14 to 21. Among those expected to attend, some doubt there will be many new politics books this time around.

The decision to push ahead with the book fair, one of the world’s largest, before the end of the year is based on the results of a poll of fair exhibitors.