An independent bookstore employee was escorted away from 'Have a Nice Stay' independent bookstore by Hong Kong national security police. The woman's T-shirt bore the slogan 'I am a bookstore employee', which has since gone viral in Taiwan after the raids.
Arrests and T-shirt slogan go viral
Five people were arrested during raids on two bookstores last week, suspected of displaying and selling publications with 'seditious' content, a national security crime carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years. Since then, the T-shirt phrase has spread widely on Taiwanese social media amid concern for the fate of Hong Kong's booksellers.
On the social media platform Threads, booksellers, lawmakers and activists shared the hashtag 'I am a bookstore employee' to show support for Hong Kong. Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, wrote on Facebook: 'Ideas and words should never be silenced by political pressure.'
Banned book sparks run in Taiwan
The Hong Kong authorities have not specified what the allegedly seditious books were, but reports suggest they may have included 'Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China' by NPR journalist Emily Feng. This prompted a run on the book in Taiwan.
The Taiwanese publisher, Acropolis Publishing, ordered an emergency reprint of 10,000 additional copies last week. Sara Sung, a senior editor at Acropolis, said some readers were buying copies as 'a statement of democracy and freedom'. 'They're showing that they will not be silenced or intimidated by censorship from China,' Sung said.
Bookstores sell out
Chang Hui-ju, owner of Touat Books, an independent bookshop in Taipei, said she was completely out of stock of Feng's book. 'Before this, hardly anyone paid attention to it,' Chang said. 'But right after the incident, the book sold out everywhere.' Another Taipei store, Kuo's Astral Bookshop, also sold out.
One customer, Wu Jia-xuan, said she was not normally interested in China-related books but that her interest had been piqued by the Hong Kong arrests. 'The fact that it had been banned only made [me] more curious,' Wu said.
Context of Hong Kong-Taiwan relations
Feng's book examines Chinese leader Xi Jinping's ideological control. One chapter focuses on Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who was arrested by Chinese authorities in 2015, escaped to Taiwan, and re-opened his bookstore in Taipei. Lam died earlier this month. His Taipei store is closed, covered with notes, flowers, and beer cans left by supporters.
Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China, but Beijing claims it as part of its territory and has proposed 'one country, two systems' framework for unification. Over 80% of Taiwanese reject that idea.
Political reactions
Politicians from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive party (DPP) have pointed to Hong Kong as an example of dangers under Chinese rule. DPP legislator Wu Pei-yi accused China of 'burning books'. However, Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, said rhetorical support for Hong Kong has rarely been matched by practical policies. 'It's very easy to use Hong Kong as a way to frame what will happen to Taiwan if the People's Republic of China is able to unify Taiwan,' Nachman said, but actual support has been 'shallow'.
A student from Fujian province, who visited Touat Books looking for a copy of Feng's book, said news of the Hong Kong raids kept her awake until 2am. 'In mainland China, none of this would come up on your feed … It was quite a shock,' she said. 'This shouldn't be happening. I think independent thought should still be allowed – at least in Hong Kong.'
