As a citizen from Hong Kong, I am super grateful for NYT to bring up this story. Even the media in HK cannot do the report in such a detailed and astonishing way. It’s important to let the people from the world know how our once promised freedom is diminishing under the rule of communist China
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Coming soon to the USA if the Democrats get back in power.
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Seriously?
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Books embody the human imagination. When oligarchical actions police our minds, then how can such a use of power by the nation-state of China be trusted?
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Hopefully the people of HK will finally wake up and do something about this. On another note it's sad to see folks here bring up Trump when he hasn't done anything like this.
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"alternative history" and "alternative facts" sound pretty similar to me.
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interesting story about the BOOK Seller in Hong Kong , trouble times in China , China values do not match western values each country has its many problems than still go on today. There are different freedoms and values in China and the North American countries, the same goes for EU and the middle east. China has evolved , it is more open what excisted before has now changed , you do not have freedom of speech or of writing if it contrary to the PRC of China . Every country has a different political system in some countries democratic system works and in other it will not work, China is a Republic than I believe some day in the future will even evolve more to an open minded and political freedom . It is for the people , not the big business person; thou its economy is rapidly . Most business is tightly controlled by the government , free enterprise does exist in some situations . It is free in China depending on what you do and what you say. It is a changing world, Every country has its problems. China is not a Democratic country it is a Republic that works for the people . It is a different ideology, than the western world which in my opinion is too free. It was a big mistake when the UK when into Hong Kong for the Opium trade. this changed every thing in Hong Kong at the time.
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I lived in HK before, during and after the 1997 handover to China. Underlying the handover agreement was an unspoken hope (in the minds of Westerners) that, as China opened to the world, it would become more democratic like its major trading partners and move closer to the HK political model. Unfortunately, as 2047 approaches (when China will assume direct control of the territory), things seem to be going the other way. The Communist Chinese government is becoming even more hard line, restricting personal, press and internet freedoms; and now XI has been made President for Life, which is a terrifying prospect. This is all very bad news for Hong Kong. We may be looking at another mass exodus of the educated population prior to 2047.
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See what happens when the sole superpower and leader of the world goes awry first with Bush II with rendition which China is now copying re this article and America has lost its moral standing in the world with Obama’s fake red line in use of chemical weapons in Syria and now America is now completely lost under Trump with his personal lack of morals and good standing and under him, America’s standing has also gone under (rule of law, support for rules based institutions like the WTO and NATO, global trade and a humanitarian and compassionate refugee policy and a credible and fair immigration policy)
The point is, when America leads, the world takes note and follows.
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This report about China's censorship practice in Hong Kong is timely.
The Deadspin compilation of Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG) "must runs" went viral on Saturday. SBG directed their station anchors to read a script about "fake stories" and "personal bias" plaguing the media, amplifying Donald Trump's "fake news" rhetoric to local news audiences across all networks, not just FOX. One station's news director emailed the newsroom staff: "Let me be absolutely clear here... These MUST Run. If they do not, my job is on the line. I don't say that to scare you by any means but I do say this so you understand how serious SBG is about this project." Trump defended SBG.
Here are two propaganda machines, USA and China. Both use threats and fear to get the message across. Both try to sell their version of the stories and label their opponent's viewpoints as "fake news".
In China's case, the One-Party government never pretend to be a defender of unregulated speech or being a model democracy. Its rationale for tightly controlling the media is to maintain social stability. China learned the bitter lesson of the Cultural Revolution when the Red-Guards were let loose, and the near-disaster of Tienanmen Square crisis. Besides, no history book is ever unbiased anyway. China is arguably intellectually honest. What is USA's excuse? Remember the "embedded media" during Iraq invasion (ahem, Regime Change)?
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HK belongs to China and it will force its laws and culture in Hong Kong, and rightly so. The only hope for the west to put its own house in order and regain its status as a 'shining city on a hill', which not only HK but China will hope to emulate.
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China will never try to emulate the west. They despise our values of liberty and freedom and are incapable of comprehending the evils of tyranny.
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Old Major, you assume Chinese "culture" is Communist, which it isn't. Communism is an imposition on Chinese people, just as British colonialism was on Hong Kongers.
Many used to complain vehemently about British rule; and many Mainlanders have been visiting Hong Kong for books which debunk the Communist elite.
Colonial days are now remembered with nostalgia, because China has made things worse.
What Hong Kongers need, I would venture, is pretty much what everyone else does: not to be "forced" to accept anything --- which, contrary to your revealingly strange claim, is *not* "right" at all.
Incidentally, your stuff about the west "putting its own house in order" is a subtler way than usual of saying that it should "go away and mind its own business"; which of course is exactly what the bullies in Zhongnanhai (who have no intention of emulating anything) would like.
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A very well written article that provides a thorough look at what is happening in China and how important it is to have freedom of expression.
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The article states : “during the crackdown that followed the Tiananmen protests”. The word massacre belongs in a mention of that history. I’m sure the Chinese authorities prefer the benign word. The rest of us should use words whose definitions fit what happened. A square covered with the bodies of hundreds of dead, young protesters is the result of a massacre. It takes an effort to imagine that scene and gloss over with the word “crackdown”.
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This might be an unpopular opinion - and I'm very sorry about what happened to Mr. Lam - but under one country two systems, I don't think it's right for either side - be it the mainland or HK, to impose their ideology onto another, no matter how "right" it is. Mainland government is uncomfortable with the banned books, and so Hong Kongers should not be bringing in banned materials into the mainland. It's against their law, period. I don't agree with the brutal punishment though and I think the appropriate response from the mainland should be through an open judicial channel.
As a Hong Konger whose father spent his teenage years growing up in the old era before the opening up, I've witnessed my country's tremendous growth even in my life time. 40 years ago, China was exactly like North Korea, and my parents said all the news in mainland back then were all propaganda and you couldn't trust anything. Compared to it then and now there's a huge difference in how much the government has opened up. It's wonderful that the government has been so brave to admit the old way of running the country didn't work, and it's willing to try ways to improve. It is a big country and there are still corruptions, pollutions, and many uneducated people living in poverty. But honestly I can say that most Chinese are very proud of our country's progress. It would be nice if NYT can share a more comprehensive view of China instead of only shining a negative light onto China constantly!
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I think it's fine to recognize that China has grown positive in many ways. But it does not mean that we should be content with the status quo and that things should not be changed and improved.
Many Hong Kongers do not see themselves as Chinese - that is a source of resistance, to be sure. The cultural differences and values are very different between the mainland and Hong Kong. To many, this is not progress, but rather a reversal - of freedoms being restricted and limited. Freedom of thought and speech is largely a Western ideal and is arguably one that should be upheld.
My parents left Hong Kong many years ago. Their opinion of China has not changed.
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A little more self criticism of the US's policies of invasion, torture, overthrow of other countries' governments, horrible treatment of African-Americans, economic instability, is also needed. US also needs to do something about millions of Americans being in prison. Horrific. But I wish China would ease up on human and animal rights. They are going to drive endangered species into extinction. Also, when I read that China had 1500 executions, I thought "whatever economic miracles they are having, things are still worse for Chinese citizens than for US citizens." Things are not so good here, and not so good in China, either. Two superpowers should be able to do a better job of taking care of their people.
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You make some good points and I can agree that if it is "one country two systems" it is not right for either the mainland or HK to impose their ideology on the other. But you fail to note that the mainland is consistently imposing its ideology on Hong Kong in ways big and small.
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Fist he elevated himself to lifetime leader, then he has clamped down on the intelligentsia, then he has clamped down on 'forbidden books', then he has followed to burned the books.
Sounds familiar?
It was said that "History repeats itself; at first as a tragedy, the second time as a farce".
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Authoritarian governments & leaders fear truth & justice because they prefer greed & power...it is also their weakness. They only win when people believe their lies.
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Censorship of books and control of speech can happen quickly with force and fear, imposed by illiberal totalitarian regimes or religions, as described in this article. Equally as dangerous is an incremental slide toward censorship by public disapproval of content of the material or behavior of the author/creator. Free speech underpins many of the rights we take for granted, including the right to practice religion (or not), and the right to assemble. In recent months in the good old USA, we read about publishers dropping authors because of personal behavior, and art being removed from display because of both content and behavior by the artist. In the case of authors, their books have no means to be published, and are, in effect, being censored. This control by mass opinion, fueled by social media and instant news, is more effective than silencing an artist through imprisonment, as it bears the sheen of moral rectitude. Librarians and libraries need to rise up and counter this banning of intellectual content, just as they do with conventionally banned books. Free speech protects the minority opinion from being vanquished by the tyranny of the majority. Is there danger here? Of course, but freedom is always dangerous.
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Another article that ensures that China will always block access The NY Times in their country.
Thank you for a haunting story and clear warning that freedom of speech is fragile, never guaranteed, under attack from any authoritarian who seeks to control free press and to impede free speech.
Not just in China or Russia. Anywhere.
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It's sad when the communist state acts like a gangster organization and terrorize ordinary people. These booksellers posed no national security threat to a country of 1.40 billion people. The fact that they were kidnapped and repatriated to China reflects very poorly re the mindset of government officials. And China wants to increase its "soft power"?They may spend billions but I can tell you all will be wasted.
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Hong Kong will become totally a part of China because Xi knows Trump will do nothing......
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What could Trump - or an other country - actually do? Great Britain ceded the territory to the Chinese a long time ago, it is technically part of China. Yes, they might be violating some terms of the agreement, but who, exactly, in the world, is really going to do something about it? Huffing and puffing in the form of resolutions from the UN doesn't usually amount to anything...are you suggesting a military or economic response from the US?
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Xi Jinping is nothing more than a coward, a bully that is afraid of his own people. What kind of man is afraid of books and ideas?
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China has an absolutely horrible gov't. Why any company would do business there is disgusting. I will do my best to not support any company who makes anything in China, or does business with them. It will be difficult, but I will make that effort.
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Good Luck with all of that. You'll have to keep in touch with friends via snail mail because pretty much all of the cell phones made are done so in China.
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Freedom, dignity, and human rights for all. And a swift removal of all tyrants and dictators.
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Squealer will explain to us all how Snowball betrayed the Principles of Animalism and why it is no longer necessary for us to know how to read and write.
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I would like to echo the comments provided thus far: never take freedom of thought for granted. This is a horror story that the West should respond to with great force. Many do not seem to appreciate the value of Hong Kong's freedoms, especially in contrast to Mainland China.
That being said, I do not understand why the whole industry is now so cowed. Yes, if the store is owned by Mainlanders it would make some sense to shut down, but the independent retailers? It is easy for me to say this, but why would they shut down? Lam was jailed for bringing banned books into the mainland, not for selling books in Hong Kong.
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"Lee also described his own capture and how he had been snatched from the parking lot of Mighty Current’s warehouse building."
That warehouse was not on the mainland.
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This is a heartbreaking story, and yet another case of the truth being stranger than fiction. I had a professor in a class on globalization a couple of years ago who thought China was the greatest and that we should be like them. Stories like this remind me of the danger of only hearing that perspective. We only see China as an economic actor, we trade, and we turn a blind eye to serious human rights issues. Who’s afraid of books? Harmless little pieces of paper and cardboard? People who are afraid of thoughts they don’t agree with—a book is just another way to distribute thoughts—they’re the ones who ban books. And why would you be afraid of thoughts you don’t agree with, unless there was something on the line that no one would want if given access to another choice.
Let this be a message to all of us as our First Amendment is being picked away at by liberals and conservatives alike.
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Don't be so hard on your professor. As recently as 2008 it was still possible to feel very positive about China. As it was also still possible to feel very positive about the United States. Sadly, things change.
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I continue to be amazed how the actions of a Communist dictatorship - which, despite the modern trappings and shining exterior - is what China is, somehow manages to shock people in 2018. Communism, despite it's patently false claims of being for "the People" (any nation with "People" in its name is anything but free - odd, no?) and "the workers", is an utter sham. That was the case fifty years ago and its the case today. It crushes the spirit and freedom as it always has. Our system is rife with flaws, but at the end of the day it is clearly the better option, messiness and all.
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Is it? Seems to me that unfettered Capitalism is just the opposite extreme...both destructive to people, communities & nations.
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While "unfettered Capitalism" is certainly not without its flaws, any reading of history will show the clear differences of liberty and freedom inherent in democracies versus the Communist state. It also shows that the evils attributed to capitalism, including wealth inequality, is prevalent in those wonderful dictatorships, where the party leaders live the high life not even attainable by the common herd, Just do some Google research and see the stories of the children of Party officials, in their Ferraris and Chanel, being quite unequal.
You don't see people rushing to get into dictatorships just because they can escape some of the greed of business people.
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Sorry to bring this up, but who publishes the history that you read?
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When I first arrived in the East Village 36 years ago from Wyoming there were many “alternative” bookstores. Many people were passing out leftist literature. Today not so much. Interesting that two years ago the book publishers market at Jacob Javits Center was sponsored by the Chinese government.
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What a powerful and heart wrenching article. God bless those who seek to preserve freedom of thought, speech and expression. We should never take our freedom s for granted in this increasingly dark era.
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What a fascinating horror story, taken straight from Orwell. I was lucky to have been researching the role of Civil Society in Hong Kong in 2004. The city was settling into it's "One Country, Two Systems" administration, but all the talk was on Beijing, and how the Mainland would recapture the City. They are fighting the good Fight there in the name of freedom, democracy, etc. But they will fail if left alone. As will Taiwan. If left unchecked, China will achieve all its objectives under One China Policy.
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i.e. A global China, with everyone doing the kowtow
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Incredible that at this age and time we are still in the fight for basic human rights that a couple of years ago we took for granted. This is movie material.
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Mostly because men have primarily ruled throughout history and Ego (gotta be 'Top Dog' mentality) is their main motivation in life at the cost of all else. The more power they have the worse they get. Wouldn't be better if they just evolved...what a better world this would be.
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A great article with a powerful lesson: never take freedom of thought for granted.
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