People formed long lines waiting to enter a small bookstore at the entrance of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.

It was the final day of operation for "Have a Nice Stay," an independent bookstore founded by former journalists, and citizens gathered to bid farewell to its end.

Though it is a small space of just around 56 square meters, it has served as an important communication channel for Hong Kong's civil society by dealing with sensitive socio-political issues and books on the Tiananmen Square protests that could not be found in large bookstores, making people's sorrow even greater.

[Poly Lui / Bookstore Customer: Too many things have disappeared and it feels like they will never come back. My heart is heavy with a sense of loss.]

Financial difficulties, combined with continuous pressure and crackdowns by authorities, were the decisive factors behind the closure.

Facing the authorities' so-called "red line," where even what is prohibited is not clearly communicated, the bookstore surrendered, stating that they no longer have the ability or the courage to continue their mission of sharing knowledge.

[Sham Yuen-wa / Co-founder of "Have a Nice Stay": Thank you to everyone who has supported us. Please stay healthy. "Have a Nice Stay" bookstore is ending its operations today.]

The ordeal of independent bookstores has now become a daily reality in Hong Kong.

This year alone, numerous bookstores including Book Punch, Hunter Bookstore, and Greenfield have been raided and their affiliates arrested on charges of "selling seditious publications."

[Anson Tse / Bookstore Customer: The authorities' recent crackdowns on bookstores are extremely unfair and unreasonable to both bookstore workers and book-loving citizens.]

Once the freest sanctuary of knowledge in the Chinese-speaking world, an era in Hong Kong is thus coming to an end.

Reported by Kwak Sang-eun | Produced by Lee Se-young | Video by Park Choon-bae | Produced by SBS Digital News