Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing‑kee dies in Taiwan, emblem of pro‑democracy publishing

Lam Wing‑kee, the founder of Hong Kong’s independent Causeway Bay Books, died in Taiwan in 2026. In 2015 the bookstore attempted to publish titles on Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s personal life, leading to the detention of its owners, including Lam, who was arrested in Shenzhen and held under residential surveillance for more than six months. After his release he returned to Hong Kong but faced the risk of extradition under the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, prompting his relocation to Taiwan in 2019. There he reopened Causeway Bay Books in April 2020, continuing to sell books censored on the mainland and becoming a symbol of resistance to Beijing’s repression.

Lam’s death marked the end of a career that highlighted the vulnerability of independent cultural venues under China’s “long‑arm” jurisdiction. His bookstore’s role as a hub for political discourse drew the attention of Chinese authorities, who viewed the dissemination of banned material as a threat to party control. The case underscored ongoing tensions between Hong Kong’s pro‑democracy activists and mainland China, and reflected the broader struggle for freedom of expression in the region.