Greenfield Bookstore

Greenfield Bookstore
Founded1976; 50 years ago (1976)
FounderWong Seung-wai (黃尚偉)
DefunctJuly 31, 2026 (2026-07-31)
Headquarters46 Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok,
Hong Kong

Greenfield Bookstore (Chinese: 田園書屋) was an independent bookstore in Hong Kong. Founded in 1976, it operated in Mong Kok for five decades. It announced its closure in July 2026, following the arrest of two employees.

History

Greenfield Bookstore was established in 1976 by Wong Sheung-wai (黃尚偉), a Hongkonger, after graduating from National Taiwan University. Located on Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mong Kok, it was the first bookstore in the area that would later became known for its concentration of upstairs bookstores. Other bookstores in the area included Hong Kong Reader Bookstore [zh], Boundary Bookstore [zh] and Have A Nice Stay. The bookstore occupied a premises of approximately 600 square feet and housed tens of thousands of books. It also developed publishing and book-distribution operations.

Greenfield became particularly associated with books on Chinese history, politics, literature and philosophy, as well as translated works published in Taiwan. In the 1990s, it expanded its selection of books concerning politically sensitive subjects in China. In 1994, the bookstore imported 300,000 copies of The Private Life of Chairman Mao, the memoir of Mao Zedong's physician Li Zhisui, and they sold out. From then, Greenfield began importing and self-publishing politically sensitive books. In 2009, it collaborated with Bao Pu, the son of the former secretary of Zhao Ziyang, and sold Bao's publication Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang at the Hong Kong Book Fair.

Lam Wing-kee, the late founder of Causeway Bay Books, also worked at Greenfield Bookstore in the past.

Arrests

On 15 July 2026, Greenfield Bookstore and fellow independent bookstore Have a Nice Stay were raided by Hong Kong Police on grounds of national security. Two Greenfield Bookstore employees were arrested for allegedly displaying seditious materials and selling seditious publications.

After the raid, Greenfield Bookstore announced on social media on 29 July at 2 a.m. that it would close once its lease expires.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Lee, James (2026-07-29). "Greenfield Bookstore to close after arrests, national security raid". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  2. ↑ "Hong Kong independent bookstores to close after police raid". France 24. 2026-07-29. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  3. ↑ "Hong Kong police raid two bookstores, arrest five people". dw.com. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  4. ↑ "Independent bookshop of 50 years to close after national security raid". South China Morning Post. 2026-07-29. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  5. 1 2 3 "從文史哲到禁書年代 文化人回望田園書屋半世紀歲月". Pulse HK (in Traditional Chinese). 2026-07-29. Archived from the original on 2026-07-29.
  6. ↑ 伍嘉敏; 趙潤滿 (2024-02-26). "與時代同行：三代獨立書店見證香港變遷". 大學線月刊 U-Beat Magazine (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 2026-01-17.
  7. ↑ "在香港逛書店才是正經事 獨立書店清單". P-articles (in Traditional Chinese). 2023-05-04. Archived from the original on 2023-10-03.
  8. 1 2 "田園書屋結業｜捲國安案宣布租約期滿結業 感謝風雨同路半世紀 顧客：一個時代的結束". 集誌社 The Collective (in Traditional Chinese). 2026-07-29. Archived from the original on 2026-07-29.
  9. ↑ Yang, Joshua (2026-07-15). "Police round up Hong Kong booksellers as China widens crackdown". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  10. ↑ "Hong Kong official warns booksellers on security risks after raids". NPR. 2026-07-16. Retrieved 2026-08-16.