The Last 30 Days of a Beloved Bookstore

Amidst social changes in Hong Kong, Mount Zero Books stands as a cherished refuge for readers

By Roetta Wang
HKU Journalism and Media Studies Centre

HONG KONG – It is a typical Saturday at Mount Zero Books. The bookstore opened around noon. And soon the limited space is filled with eager readers. They stand by the expansive wooden table that takes up most of the space on the first floor, engrossed in the books in their hands.

Piles of books are arranged in every corner, on the table, atop the low cabinet, and even along the windowsill — in an organized and uncluttered way. The walls are adorned with posters of Hong Kong films and singers, framed paintings, and calligraphy with red backgrounds. Small bouquets of flowers add to the charming atmosphere.

Some of the readers climb the narrow staircase onto the second floor. They must walk sideways, carefully moving around each other. Instead of the familiar bookstore scent, the air is infused with the aroma of fried rice wafting from Yuk Kin Fast Food, a small eatery located down the alley. On one side, as readers gaze through the windows, a serene vista of the greenery from the 100-year-old banyan tree unfolds. On the other side, resting upon a long table in front of the window, lies a notebook for visitors to leave their thoughts. Hundreds of different handwritings can be found on it with almost the same message:

“Thank you and goodbye, Mount Zero Books.”

On December 5, Mount Zero Books posted on its social media, “There will be one day that everything ends”, announcing that the bookstore will close on March 31, 2024. The bookstore managers said they received complaints from different government departments almost every week and every letter included a word — “accusation”.

Earlier in September, the bookstore received an accusation from the land department. It said the platform laid in front of the building to flatten the slope was illegal occupation. The owner of the bookstore removed the tiles, which were less than 1.5 cm thick, and left only the cement. In addition, the canopy and lighting on the exterior wall of the bookstore were all cleaned afterwards. But accusations didn’t end. 

The bookstore continued to receive complaints from government departments, such as a notice of missing fire extinguishers from the fire department, according to a post on the bookstore’s social media page. In the closing announcement, the bookstore managers said, “Hope the mysterious complainant could take a break after seeing this post”.

Opened in 2018, the bookstore offered valuable opportunities for people to be connected and take a breath during the Covid-19 pandemic. And it has consistently served as a haven for readers amidst social changes in Hong Kong to gather and to find like-minded people. A community has been formed under the flourishing banyan tree. For countless readers, losing the bookstore means an emptiness in their lives and a pity for the city. 

“Without the presence of Mount Zero Books, it feels as if a crucial part of Hong Kong that I was familiar with has gone,” a reader wrote on the notebook.

Mount Zero Books is not the only independent bookstore in this city that is struggling. According to statistics compiled by the Facebook page ‘Wandering Hong Kong Bookstores’, 38 independent bookstores have closed since 2020. The reasons for the closure of the majority of other bookstores were not explicitly stated, but two of them closed due to political influences, according to their owners. Bleak House Book, established by an ex-lawyer and historian, closed in 2021 due to the owner’s emigration and perception of erosion of freedom in Hong Kong. Hillway Culture ceased operations at the end of last December due to the emigration of one of the founders and the owner not wanting to deal with so many government inspections.

Those that still hold on remain under the close scrutiny of the government. Hunter Bookstore said on their social media page that the store was visited by the Fire Department after it received reports of irregularities in firefighting equipment. The owner of Prejudice Bookstore Fan Lapkee said when his store relocated to an industrial building in February, he soon received a notice from the Land Department asking him to move out within a month. 

The owner of Mount Zero Books Sharon Chan declined all requests for interviews, saying she only wanted to focus on running it in its last days.

During the months-long farewell, readers who love the bookstore, those who visited the bookstore for the first time, and people from mainland China, Taiwan, and overseas all gathered there. They are sad for changes in Hong Kong and nostalgic for the good old days of Mount Zero Books. Under the giant banyan tree, people shared laughter and tears. 

This is a look back at its last few weeks and what the bookstore meant to people who loved it.

March 9  “It’s sad, so sad. Hong Kong has changed.” 

On this Saturday, vibrant Jazz music from a small stereo at the door mingled with the sound of people’s conversation. The transparent glass door was plastered with calligraphy, which read “Hong Kong is so beautiful”.

Since Mount Zero Books had entered its last month of operation, more readers came than usual. Some readers came here to buy more books to help the bookstore clear its remaining stocks. Others wanted to revisit it before its closure. Many of them stayed here for a long time, whether sitting on the bench against the pink wall of adjacent Blake Park or standing in the alley. They were taking photos, talking with each other, or simply lost in thought.

Carol Lo was among the readers. She bought two books, one of them was written by Allen Au, an experienced Hong Kong journalist who was arrested on suspicion of “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” and granted bail two years ago. 

It was the third day after she came back from Canada. She emigrated from Hong Kong more than 30 years ago. Lo came back to Hong Kong quite often until borders were closed because of Covid-19 pandemic. 

During the past few years, she could only read what was happening in her birthplace from thousands of miles away. When she read the news of the closure of this bookstore, she felt that she must come to visit this lovely bookstore as soon as she returned to Hong Kong.

Sitting on the bench outside of the bookstore, Lo said there are a lot of changes in Hong Kong, for the worse not for the better. “Hong Kong was never like this, so people know the differences. Even though they don’t speak out, they know.” 

As a Hong Konger who immigrated before the city’s handover from British colonial rule to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, she said she could understand how people in Hong Kong feel right now. 

“People fear, right?” She said,

“More strange laws, rules and regulations are gonna be passed. Like this innocent bookstore, it is forced to close, just because this is a place some people like to gather.”

March 16  “I didn’t find the book I was looking for.”

The last book sharing session of Mount Zero Books was scheduled for this evening. Many people came early in the afternoon and were chatting with each other in the quiet alley closed off to traffic outside of the bookstore.

A middle-aged man came alone, carrying a black computer bag on his back. In that tiny ground floor space of Mount Zero Books, he spent more than half an hour picking up and looking through almost every book that was arranged on the table. 

He said that in fact there was a gap between the books sold here and his expectation before. He came here to buy books about the current situations in Hong Kong or how other countries encountered the pressure of authoritarianism but didn’t find what he was looking for.

“I thought some books were the reason for the closure of this bookstore, but now it seems (if they were) there are already very few of them,” he said. 

In fact, Mount Zero Books is not believed to be targeted for its books, according to people in the industry.

Fan from Prejudice Bookstore said they couldn’t know the exact reason, but he assumed that the pressure on independent bookstores may be due to some of them inviting some pro-democracy activists to hold events, or posting their dissatisfaction with the government on social media. He felt that the books sold in bookstores have not yet been heavily scrutinized.

Fan said that near his store in the industrial building before he moved out, he also knew some restaurants and a Chinese medicine shop that was asked to move out for the same reason as him, and speculates it’s because the stores were known to be part of Yellow Economics Circle in Hong Kong.

Also known as Yellow Store, the Yellow Economic Circle refers to stores that openly expressed their support of democracy during the 2019 protest. Five years on, what has happened to independent bookstores suggests that some are still under close government surveillance.

After looking at almost all the books, the man in the bookstore bought two books, one of them was a 2020-2023 Hong Kong recording compiled by local journalists and published by Hillway Culture.

“I believe it’s just the beginning. The phenomena we are seeing today will continue to be seen even more in the future until everything is changed,” the man said.

He was reluctant to reveal his real name and asked to be called only as a Hong Kong citizen.

March 23  “Mount Zero changed my life after retirement.”

It was another busy day at Mount Zero Books. Many people came out of the store carrying canvas bags in their hands. The bags were printed with a painting of all the plants in the Tai Ping Shan neighborhood where the bookstore is located.

On the bare cement platform outside of it, a tall white and fragrant viburnum is blossoming, with three yellow butterfly orchids standing by. The gray cloudy day was decorated by their bright yellow color.

Granny Jenny Siu tended the orchids at home before bringing them here after they bloomed. 

She retired in 2013 and started to come to the bookstore frequently right after it opened in 2018. 

“Thanks to my encounter with Mount Zero Books, my life after retirement has really been enriched,” Siu said. 

Before the opening of Mount Zero Books, her retirement life consisted of going hiking once a week and sometimes going to Teakha, a cafe located one alley away from Mount Zero. After celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2021, the coffee shop closed its doors despite its strong emphasis on community connection. 

After losing Teakha, Siu would still often spend nearly one hour traveling from her home in Tseung Kwan O to the Tai Ping Shan neighborhood because of Mount Zero Books.

She said she used to only read the works of some classic writers, such as Eileen Chang. But Mount Zero Books opened her eyes to so many good books written by Taiwanese and local Hong Kong authors. Visiting Mount Zero Books and reading the books here became a crucial part of her life.

What was more important to her was that she met a warm community and a group of young friends here. They celebrated Christmas Day, they attended book sharing sessions and small concerts here. And many reading clubs and screenings were held. 

She said she loves reading books under the banyan tree, especially in the summer evenings, when customers would sit outside and read amidst a starry sky and warm candlelights. Sharon, the owner of the bookstore whom everyone refers to by her English name, even bought a big chunk of ice and placed it near the readers to help them cool down. 

“Can you imagine how romantic the scene was?” Siu said.

She said the bookstore represents the interpersonal warmth in this city. She showed a photo saved in her phone, which was a cup of tea. Sharon put it on her table when she was reading at the bookstore one day. Looking at that photo, her eyes moistened.

March 30: Music, flowers and love

It was Easter holiday, and the streets in Sheung Wan were not as busy as usual. Yuk Kin Fast Food was closed but Mount Zero Books was even more crowded than ever — there was even a queue in front of the bookstore to get in.

People were taking pictures and talking with each other. Some of them kept their distance from the crowd and read the book in their hands.

A book stall was laid outside, facing the long pink wall of Blake Garden. Big size Chinese characters posted on the wall read, “Everyone loves Mount Zero Books”. The inverse version, that “Mount Zero Books loves everyone,” is often used as a hashtag on the bookstore’s social media.

A small concert was arranged to be held outside the bookstore at 4:30 p.m. The store owner Sharon took out some mosquito repellent and mosquito coils, and placed them next to the band members who were about to play.

Before the concert, several people came with glass vases, which were full of roses in red, pink, and yellow. They distributed the roses one by one to everyone gathered there, saying, “The flower is from Sharon to wish you happiness”.

There were more than 100 people in the alley, sitting around the band or standing in the back. There were also many people sitting above the wall, by the fence of the Blake Garden, overlooking the concert.

As the concert started, people were holding roses and quickly turned to face the stage. Music was coming from a cello, a violin, a flute and an electric piano. The band is Sea Island Ferry from Hong Kong.

“We are grateful to Mount Zero Books for providing a platform for us to meet music and cultural enthusiasts over the past four years”, the band posted on their social media platform after the performance.

“Seeds have been sown. Now they will go with the wind,” the post read.

March 31：Last Day

It was a hot and humid day, and the sky looked as if it was going to rain. Yuk Kin Fast Food was open today, not for serving food but for selling books. Two tables of the restaurant were laid out, covered with pieces of cloth, and filled with books from Mount Zero Books. 

Chairs from the restaurant were also laid out for readers to rest. There were more than 200 readers gathered, filling the whole alley. 

The owner of this family-run restaurant, Tommy Wong, volunteered to lend his store to Mount Zero. Opening and closing their stores together for more than five years, Wong and his family have become close friends with the managers and the owner of Mount Zero. 

Wong is often a participant of the gatherings at Mount Zero Books and is the one who cooks for everyone. Also, for many readers, eating fried rice and going to the bookstore is a classic routine for visiting the Tai Ping Shan neighborhood.

In addition, a small stall selling handwritten and self-published newspapers was set up outside Mount Zero. Published starting last year, the newspaper is a recording of what was happening in Hong Kong every month. Mount Zero Books is one of the independent bookstores that supported it since the beginning.

Some people were resting or taking pictures in Blake Park. But a new security cordon set by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department prevented people from getting close to the flower beds next to the fence of the park, where they sat the day before, overlooking the bookstore and listening to music of the concert.

Margaret Ng, a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, was among the readers. She was a frequent visitor to Mount Zero. Her books were sold here, and last October she was the speaker of the bookstore’s philosophy class. For that event, she shared five nights with the readers.

Before the closure of the bookstore, the former journalist and author Allen Au came here several days in a row. He spent a lot of time sitting behind the stall of Yuk Kin and penning his signature and words of blessing for his readers. 

Tung Kong is the author who shared her experiences of writing and living overseas at the last book sharing session at Mount Zero on May 16. She spent a long time here, but all the time she just sat quietly in a chair against the wall. She said at first she felt the closure is a pity, but now she believed there would be a new place to make everyone reunite.

Granny Jenny Siu, wearing a pink dress, spent the whole day here. She also carried a canvas bag with four characters printed on it which read “From Words to Prosperity”. The original version of this sentence was proposed by the Hong Kong government, which was “From Governance to Prosperity”. The pronunciation of “words” and “governance” are similar in Chinese. There were many readers carrying the same bags in different colors.

At around 6 p.m., the door of Mount Zero was closed. Later, the last reader walked out, and there was applause inside the bookstore. People standing outside the bookstore also applauded.

Then, the lights in Mount Zero Books dimmed.

Advisor: Cindy Sui