Albert Wan left his life as a lawyer in the United States, where he grew up, to become a bookstore owner in Hong Kong, where his parents are from. Together with his wife, he opened Bleak House, one of the few independent bookstores in Hong Kong that specialises in English books.

“Reading allows putting oneself in someone else’s shoes. It can be intellectually stimulating, or emotionally restoring part of what you might’ve forgotten or lost in the day-to-day. It makes you a more interesting and compassionate person.”

— Albert Wan

Journalist: Mehporpor

Videographer: Almond, Wolf

Video Editor: Wolf

Photos: One Hungry Coconut

Editorial: August Chan, Lightning Bug, Crazy Man, Gen Mann

Production: Onehungrycoconut

[This story is also featured on Apple Daily.]

The two chapters

People see bookselling and lawyering as two unrelated occupations. Different genres in a way. Law to most people appears black and white, whereas fiction is colourful and imaginative. Although it may look like my past profession and what I’m doing now are two different stories, they’re more like different chapters of the same book. My story has always been guided by the same principles. What I do is motivated by the desire to make things a little better, whether I am a lawyer or a bookseller.

Practising law has given me a perspective that, while I wouldn’t say is unique, is very human. The law that I practiced dealt with cases with unfortunate scenarios that happened to real people. I witnessed people arrested when they shouldn’t have been, prisoners who were not allowed to receive letters but only postcards, police misconduct and abuses of power. When I was involved in criminal and civil cases, seeing injustices happen made me angry. It was upsetting when there was no redress for the exploitations and no compensation for the abuse. My job wasn’t just about crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s. It’s about engaging in people’s stories and challenging the circumstances that humans were put in. I observe the same kinds of suffering whether it’s in the US or in Hong Kong. The power of stories is what connects the two chapters of my life.

We Are HKers - Albert Wan | The Power of Human Stories

Bleak House is a chapter that has been writing itself. We’ve seen marriage proposals and couples getting engaged, graduation photos taken, baby showers celebrated, and musical performances held here. We have a community of booklovers and thinkers who gather here to discuss different topics. Friendships are formed here. For me, the culmination of these experiences made this place feel like home.

Growing up in the US, the mindset that my parents embodied gave me a window to what Hong Kong culture was like. My parents were typical of their generation—they grew up poor, worked hard to save up, kept their mouths shut about politics, and tried to provide for their family. They eventually moved to the US, but when I moved my own family back to Hong Kong, experiencing the everyday reality here allowed me to see the city in a new perspective firsthand. My parents disagree with me politically and don’t like how I engage in the local issues. Like many people from their generation, they judge right and wrong with a different set of beliefs. That tension makes decisions more difficult, but it doesn't deter me from participating. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t involved in this way with all the baggage that comes with it. I know they don’t approve and it’s hard, but I have to process that and navigate around it to do what I do.

Print is not dead

One responsibility as a bookseller is to act as a curator. You’re selective about what you stock, with nuances about what you keep in and out of the bookstore. That requires constant attention to what the community wants. Learning about what people are interested in, which books are relevant to today’s world, what is aesthetically pleasing, and what has stood the test of time. I spend most of my days researching and selecting books to stock.

With Kindle, e-books, and all sorts of electronic materials around, people argue that one day print will be replaced. Print will never die, I’m sorry to disappoint. The desire to feel the weight of a book in one’s hands and flip through the pages will always exist. A printed book, from cover to cover, from content to design, as a single piece of unified content will always be around.

The books that make us human

People in Hong Kong read, but I think the reading here, especially for the younger generation, is perhaps too pragmatic. I would like to see Hongkongers read for their personal enjoyment. In order to build this culture, people have to start from a young age and the process needs to be engaging, special, and meaningful. Kids are not ignorant and they know when you are making them do work or sucking the fun out of their lives. They don’t like that. If we make kids read boring books, they are going to hate reading.

I would like to see children and younger people dive into fictions and fantasies—books that don't necessarily “have a point”, but are cute, interesting, and funny. Fiction is especially impactful for making a person whole and well-rounded. It allows putting oneself in someone else’s shoes. The stories don't have to be about strange situations, it can be in everyday situations like eating in a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafes) or riding the bus. Just reading someone else’s writing can bring fulfillment. It can be intellectually stimulating or emotionally restoring part of what you might’ve forgotten or lost in the day-to-day. Reading makes you a more interesting and compassionate person.

My favorite author George Orwell said, “Our job is to make life worth living on this earth, which is the only earth we have.” I don’t know how long we will be around. Perhaps in five years’ time, the selection of books I sell here will become much smaller. Or perhaps there will be other changes, who knows? What I can say for sure is that if I didn’t have the bookshop, I would be even sadder than I am today. It creates some stress, but it keeps me motivated. Bleak House keeps me going, it connects me with people, and that gives me hope.

“I am Albert Wan. I am a HKer. ”

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