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| Social-distancing measures continue for another week |
Hong Kong recorded 80 new coronavirus cases today, a merciful drop from the triple digits we had for the past 12 days. However, health officials are warning the public not to let its guard down yet, with social-distancing measures in place for at least another week.
Meanwhile the rainy weather has also encouraged many to stay at home, which is expected to be around this week and next week.
This evening the rain stayed away and I did my regular walk rain-free and in cooler temperatures at 25.5 degrees Celsius. Not too many people were out either, though there were still those pesky runners who insist on not wearing a mask...
I haven't had a chance to write about this because of everything that's been going on, but last Friday was the last day of Swindon Book Company's operations in its Tsim Sha Tsui location.
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| Swindon Book Company in Tsim Sha Tsui |
In the past week locals flocked to the store to take pictures and snap up any interesting books. By the time I went on Friday there was a bizarre collection of books available from large medical textbooks, to cooking healthy meals for kids, and interpreting sexual dreams! There was even a giant tome compiled of China's organizations complete with contact details. Who would want to buy that?
But on that Friday there were quite a few people combing through the bookshelves (nothing was organized at all, it was a total treasure hunt), to find a book to buy. At one point a woman came by who told us we could buy one book and get two free. They were desperate to get rid of what they had left.
Swindon Book Company was where practically every student in Hong Kong went to get their textbooks. Even on the last day there was a father putting in an order for textbooks, and was a first-time customer. Even my mother remembers getting her schoolbooks from there from when she was a student many moons ago.
But alas, bookstores in Hong Kong have a hard time staying in business, and there have been many who have complained that locals are not educated enough because they don't read enough books, they would rather play video games than read books, and hence bookstores have had to close.
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| People making their last purchases at the store |
However, that doesn't explain the popularity of the annual Hong Kong Book Fair, that unfortunately had to be canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Every year the attendance is about 1 million people, interested in buying the latest titles, listening to their favourite authors, or coming across books that might not end up in a bookstore because the subject matter is too obscure for mainstream readers.
The reality is the high cost of rent in Hong Kong, and a bookstore needs a big space to put all its items on the shelves. While some may argue that buying books online is most efficient, it is when you know exactly what you're looking for, whereas browsing around a bookshop is an exciting pastime for others.
An online shopping experience does not replace picking up a book from a shelf and flipping through it, randomly picking a page and reading it. Does it have pictures? Illustrations? What does the cover look like? Is the book heavy or light?
Founded in 1918, Swindon Book Company is Hong Kong's oldest bookstore and is being run by the third generation of the Li family. It will now only sell books online, though the company also owns Hong Kong Book Centre in Central and Kelly & Walsh in Pacific Place in Admiralty.
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| Many empty bookshelves on Swindon's last day |
In the last few years Swindon Book Company on Lock Road in Tsim Sha Tsui was behind on rent and owes HK$3.71 million to the landlord, who took the company to court to vacate the 5,000 sq ft premises.
While Swindon Book Company already shifted to selling books online 10 years ago, there are those who will miss the place that was been a part of their formative years for generations.
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