Long-time readers of this blog know that we (especially Chris) like bookstores. The bookstores featured in this post and the next two share one common aspect: all three are independent and small.
Enjoy a piano performance by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto while reading this post.
Mount Zero
Mount Zero Books (見山書店) is located in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong, an old neighborhood which has been slowly transformed by pop-up galleries, cafes, and specialty retailers. The Chinese name of the bookstore means “sight of mountain”. Perhaps it is referring to the Victoria Peak behind the bookstore, or referencing a Chinese phrase about “being frank and direct”.
It took a long uphill walk from Central to reach the dead-end street where the bookstore inhabits the last storefront.
The first thing I noticed as we approach this indie bookstore is the pixelated message “Ideas Are Bulletproof”. The message made of tiles, the simple black window frames, and white walls lend the facade an unassuming, modern feel. Few cars come this far up the hill and the cul-de-sac has become a community space shared by the businesses along the street.
According to its Instagram, the five-year old bookstore sells literature and books about the arts, from Hong Kong and Taiwan; and it organizes from time to time cultural events. It is also a publisher of Chinese language books. While we were visiting, we chatted briefly with a mixed race couple of visitors from Switzerland. There were three other patrons in the attic. Given its off-the-beaten-path location, it is unlikely that these people wandered into the bookstore by chance.
Interestingly, for a bookstore this small, it had attracted an outsized amount of media attention. New York Times wrote about it in June 2021 – In a Muffled Hong Kong, Bookstores Offer Freedom of Thought.
The bookstore occupies about 100 square feet and has an attic where patrons can browse the shelves or sit down to read. Quite typical of retail spaces in Hong Kong, everything is tightly squeezed together. In addition to a counter for the store manager, we saw a kitchenette on the ground floor and there is presumably a bathroom somewhere.
The books were neatly arranged, with some still kept in shrink-wrap. There was no apparent order or classification, but this seems unnecessary given the size of the store, and I think the patrons are happy to browse and discover books without relying on any classification. They trust the store’s curation.
Books in Chinese or English language are mixed together, a bit like Hong Kong. The store also carries note cards, artwork and other paraphernalia.
The attic, while small and cramped with books, did not feel claustrophobic as there was natural light streaming in from two sides. There were even chairs and benches for patrons who linger. Most walls and surfaces were covered by posters, including one which simply declares – 活得磊落真誠 – “Living In Truth” – a book by Václav Havel .
While the books concern generally the arts and literature, they were all very topical and local. Importantly, many of the books express an awareness and a reinforcement of the identity of the city, Hong Kong, its past and present. Some are nostalgic, some progressive and some evaluative.
We saw a few notable books:
- “The Impossible City – A Hong Kong Memoir” by Karen Cheung which in parts documented the Umbrella Movement up to the enactment of the Hong Kong Security Law in 2021.
- Unknown Brutalism Architecture in Hong Kong by Brutalism Hong Kong Research Group
- 我還等再看到幾次滿月? (How Many More Full Moons Can I See?) by Ryuichi Sakamoto – who passed away in 2023. We posted a tribute to this great Japanese musician here.
- 香港日記 (The Hong Kong Diaries) by Chris Patten, who was the last British governor of Hong Kong.
- A picture book of the 1989 movie – 悲情城市 A City of Sadness – a Taiwanese historical drama by Hou Hsiao-hsien which tells the story of a family embroiled by the “White Terror” that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government (KMT) after their arrival from mainland China in the late 1940s. I(Chris) saw the movie while visiting Hong Kong this time.
Mount Zero is also a publisher. Several of its books are available: 野豬, 如一, 單人床, 大時代的蜉蝣, 一道門 (see above photograph).
- 香港散歩學 (Hong Kong：A Guide to City Strolling) by 黃宇軒 Sampson Wong
- 尋常與作樂——哲學與文藝的25則思考 by 李敬恒 – a collection of essays about literature and philosophy published in 明報 (Ming Pao) and 立場新聞 (Stand News).
After the local protests started in 2019, the Hong Kong government has removed many books in public libraries allegedly for national security reasons and charged publishers and booksellers with sedition. In September 2023, the Lands Department notified Mount Zero Books that the tiled platform outside the bookstore was built on top of the pavement, which amounted to an illegal occupation of government land. See “Independent Hong Kong bookstore Mount Zero accused of illegally occupying part of pavement.” And in December 2023, it was reported in X (formerly known as Twitter) that Mount Zero will close in March 2024, apparently due to continuous bureaucratic harassments triggered by anonymous complaints. See https://twitter.com/hkdc_us/status/1732048954219446748.
This independent bookstore is not just a cute touristy spot, or a place that sells interesting books about local media and culture. It also offers in Hong Kong these days, a rare sense of the freedom of expression (which is disappearing) and an informal gathering place for the like-minded. The shutdown of this store will be a loss to Hong Kong.
If you are in Hong Kong, visit the bookstore at Tai Ping Shan Street No.6C, Sheung Wan (上環太平山街6號地下C鋪), before its closure.
Don’t miss the other indie bookstores – La Flor de Papel in Santiago, Chile and Wardah Books in Singapore.