Who Was Lam Wing-kee? Hong Kong Bookseller Who Challenged Beijing and Became a Symbol of Free Speech

• Lam Wing-kee, owner of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books, died at 70 after battling lung cancer in Taipei.
• He gained international recognition after revealing details of his secret detention by Chinese authorities following the 2015 Causeway Bay Books disappearances.
• Lam later reopened Causeway Bay Books in Taiwan, where he continued advocating for democracy and freedom of expression.

Hong Kong bookseller and pro-democracy advocate Lam Wing-kee has died at the age of 70, drawing tributes from Taiwan and human rights groups around the world. Lam, who died of lung cancer in Taipei on July 2, became known internationally after speaking publicly about his detention by Chinese authorities following the disappearance of several booksellers connected to Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books. His death has brought renewed attention to one of Hong Kong’s most troubling free speech cases.

Who Was Lam Wing-kee?

Lam Wing-kee was born on December 16, 1955, in Hong Kong to parents who had fled mainland China during the Chinese Civil War. After working in publishing, he opened Causeway Bay Books in 1994. The shop became known for selling books banned in mainland China, drawing visitors from across the border eager to buy politically sensitive titles they could not find at home.

For many years, Lam was simply a bookseller. That changed when he came forward with his account of being secretly detained by Chinese authorities.

What Was Causeway Bay Books?

Causeway Bay Books sold books about senior Chinese Communist Party leaders, including unofficial biographies, political investigations, and sensational accounts of the private lives of top officials, including President Xi Jinping.

These books were legal in Hong Kong but banned in mainland China, which made the store a magnet for mainland visitors. To Chinese authorities, however, the business was politically sensitive because it circulated material that challenged or criticized Beijing’s leadership.

Why Did Lam Wing-kee Become Famous?

In 2015, Lam was one of five booksellers linked to Causeway Bay Books who mysteriously disappeared, sparking alarm and international concern.

Lam later said he had been detained by Chinese security officials after crossing into Shenzhen. He spent about eight months in custody, including months in solitary confinement, where he said he was repeatedly questioned about the sale of banned books.

He also said authorities pressured him into recording a televised confession admitting to “illegal book sales.” But after being allowed to return to Hong Kong, Lam stunned officials by holding a press conference in June 2016, where he described what had happened to him and openly criticized Beijing’s actions. That moment turned him into a powerful symbol of resistance to censorship and political repression.

Why Did Lam Move to Taiwan?

As freedoms in Hong Kong continued to shrink, Lam moved to Taiwan in 2019 amid growing fears about Beijing’s influence and proposed extradition laws.

In 2020, he reopened Causeway Bay Books in Taipei, where it became a meeting place for exiled Hong Kong activists and democracy supporters. Lam kept speaking out for freedom of expression and warned that Taiwan should stay alert to authoritarian pressure.

Lam Wing-kee’s Legacy

After his death, Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture described Causeway Bay Books as “an inspiration and role model for democracy, liberty, and human rights across borders.”

Lam’s story became one of the clearest examples of how Hong Kong’s freedoms have eroded under Chinese rule. By choosing to speak openly about his detention instead of staying silent, he inspired journalists, publishers, and democracy advocates far beyond Hong Kong.

Though he spent his final years in exile, Lam Wing-kee’s legacy reaches far beyond bookselling. His courage made him one of Hong Kong’s most recognizable defenders of free expression, and his story remains a lasting reminder of the fight against censorship and the struggle to protect civil liberties.