In Pictures: Fans pay tribute to Hong Kong independent bookshop Have a Nice Stay on final day following raid

Dozens of book enthusiasts flocked to the independent bookstore Have a Nice Stay on its final day of operation on August 30, 2026, to pay tribute to the establishment that was raided by national security police just a month earlier. Co-founder Sum Wan-wah greeted his customers as they squeezed into the Prince Edward tenement building where the shop was located.

The shop had announced a five-day clearance sale before closing its doors for good. Sum expressed his gratitude to the customers and wished them well as he prepared to shutter the doors of the bookshop he had run for four years.

The arrests of Sum and four other independent bookshop owners by the city's national security police last month for suspicion of sedition sparked a backlash. Three of the arrestees were from Have a Nice Stay, while the other two were from the 50-year-old Greenfield Bookstore in Mong Kok. Police also searched the two stores, seizing what they claimed to be seditious materials. The five were later released on bail pending further investigation.

The arrests were seen as an escalation in a crackdown on Hong Kong's independent bookstores, following similar raids at Book Punch in March and Hunter Bookstore in June. Have a Nice Stay had announced its closure due to "unclear red lines" and financial struggles just days before the raid. In the days leading up to the shop's final day, supporters formed long queues, lining up patiently along the staircase to enter the shop. Two electric fans were set up to help alleviate the sweltering heat.