Facing the Invisible Tank: A Hong Kong Bookstore's Stand for Freedom

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In this five-part series, JAPAN Forward highlights individuals in Hong Kong who continue to resist the sweeping impact of the National Security Law. In Part 2, we feature Leticia Wong, a former pro-democracy district councilor whose fight for freedom lives on through Hunter Bookstore in Sham Shui Po.

I was taken aback when I opened the bookstore's website. Right on the homepage, a bold message in Cantonese read: "Become a hunter, not unsuspecting prey."

This is the reality of today's Hong Kong. The invisible threat of the National Security Law (NSL), enacted in 2020, hangs in the air like a suspended round from a silent tank. It is ready to strike at any time, from anywhere.

Hunter Bookstore is located in Kowloon. At the entrance, a red slip of paper bears the word "Freedom." Below it, a poster urges: "Face your fear head-on."

Inside, among shelves of ordinary titles, are books on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, as well as works by pro-democracy activists arrested by Hong Kong police. These books are banned in mainland China. Since the NSL took effect, they have been removed from public libraries. Swept away by a growing tide of self-censorship, they have quietly vanished from mainstream bookstores.

*Anti-government demonstration held in Hong Kong in 2019. (©Sankei by Kinya Fujimoto)*

A Courageous Owner

The store is run by 32-year-old Leticia Wong, a former pro-democracy district councilor.

"People seemed to resign themselves to the fact that our freedoms were being stripped away, one by one. I couldn't stand by and watch anymore," she said.

The crackdown began in 2019. Slogans from the anti-government, anti-Chinese Communist Party protests were banned. Even common phrases like "Hong Kong, add oil," a cheer of encouragement, were sometimes restricted for "evoking protest sentiments." Over time, people began to censor themselves out of fear — to protect themselves.

Wong was once a political journalist for a local paper. She later became a district councilor, but after the NSL came into effect, she resigned in protest. She refused to pledge loyalty to the Chinese and Hong Kong governments.

Eventually, Wong found herself drawn to bookselling and opened her own store.

But the shop offers more than books. It also sells illustrated cards inspired by historian Timothy Snyder's guide to resisting tyranny. Each card carries a principle: hold on to your beliefs, summon courage, believe in the truth.

*Cards featuring 20 principles for resisting tyranny. (©Sankei by Kinya Fujimoto)*

'Do Not Obey in Advance'

Friends and customers often ask Wong if she's afraid to be selling these kinds of books.

When I ask her the same question, she replies, "I want to ask the opposite. Why are you afraid? What exactly is so frightening? If you look fear in the eye, you might realize it's not as terrifying as it seems."

Hunter Bookstore has been inspected several times by government officials.

"They're just trying to intimidate. If I've broken a law, they can arrest me," Wong says calmly.

On a large mirror inside the shop, a message written in Cantonese reads: "What you fear is yourself." Staring back is your own reflection.

When asked which resistance card is the most popular, Wong replied, "Do not obey in advance."

Hunter Bookstore is a quiet beacon of resistance — and a symbol of the silent defiance among Hongkongers living under growing self-censorship.