Sedate Start To HK Book Fair Amid Protest Calls

The annual Hong Kong Book Fair got off to a smooth start in Wan Chai on Wednesday morning, amid fears that it could be marred by protests targeting publishers controlled by Beijing.

The week-long book fair started at 10am at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 100 people were seen queuing up outside the venue, about half an hour before the event kicked off. The first one in the queue had been there since the night before.

The early book fair goers weren't deterred by online calls for activists to target a Beijing-owned publishing group, in the wake of the anti-extradition bill movement.

Sino United Publishing is run by Beijing's liaison office and now controls most of Hong Kong's retail book trade. Its booth, along with other publishers with the backing from mainland businesses, is located in the main Hall 1 of the centre.

One of those in the queue for the fair told RTHK that she was planning to leave early after purchasing the books she wants. She said she believes the security at the venue would be able to prevent any protesters from affecting the event.

A secondary five student, Jacky Fung, said he wasn't too worried about possible protests, adding that he didn't think protesters would vandalise the booths.

One of the first customers into the fair, who gave his name as To, said he arrived at the centre at around 7pm on Tuesday night. He said he has been coming to the fair early for six or seven years now and plans to spend around HK$2,000 this time.