The news about the possible disappearance of those bookstores, the ones with real books in them, has been made headlines for some time now, as people gaze away from the printed page to the new e-books and mobile devices.

As is the case in many countries, those old wood-and-brick bookstores in China are seeing a drastic decline in popularity and, as a result, sales these days, as can be seen in the closure of some fairly prominent stores. The Third Polar, for example, once Beijing’s biggest bookstore, was shuttered just last year -- after years of losses. Then there’s O2Sun, an independent chain, which pulled the plug on its operations in Beijing and the southeastern city of Xiamen, in 2011 because of a shortage of capital, declining sales, and rising costs.

By some accounts, around 10,000 of these traditional bookstores went out of business, between 2007 and 2009, and 50 percent of the private ones closed in the past decade. State-backed stores, on the other hand, seem to have fared well in spite of the challenge posed by online stores and digital publishers. Xinhua, for example, which has China’s largest, and for that matter, only countrywide bookstore chain, recorded total sales of 79.9 billion yuan, in 2012, and that was an increase of 12.3 percent over 2011.

But a closer look at the industry shows that it’s tough for most of the physical-book retailers to attract customers and stay afloat, as more and more they just serve as a book showroom where shoppers can research items and compare prices -- before making the purchase online.

There are many things contributing to the problem that traditional bookstores face. Zhai Defang, the GM of the Sanlian Taofen Bookshop, explained it to Beijing Times in this way: “First, there are the online bookstores that sometimes post unfairly low prices to attract readers, affecting the development of the entire industry. Second, the traditional bookstores suffer from higher rents. Third, Chinese bookstores have to pay higher taxes compared with their foreign counterparts.”

And, as e-books rise in power and influence, traditional stores will be furthered squeezed and end up with their backs to the wall, which does not sound good. According to a report from the Chinese Press and Publications Academy, in 2012, e-book sales amounted to 3.1 billion yuan, or about four times the previous year figure; the number of e-book readers already broke the 100 million barrier, back in 2010.

So, bookstore owners are haunted by the fear that their days are numbered and they may follow their American and European counterparts, such as Borders, into the dustbin of history. However, the demise of physical-book bookstores is deeply troubling for some, especially at a time when people are scrambling to get by in a period of economic upheaval.

Here are some people’s responses:

“I support physical bookstores. They’re where culture lives. How can we allow our culture to go adrift?” 阁楼上的钟摆的地盘 on her Weibo account.

“Despite the convenience and cheaper products that the Internet age has brought, small bookstores scattered about add a cultural touch to cities……I hope physical stores still have a place to grow and that cities dot lose their places for culture and self-enhancement.” 萱的时光机.

But, the opposite view can also be heard from people who believe that the traditional business model is out-of-date and online bookstores are active players in the market, which means a difficult adjustment for traditional retailers. For example:

“Few bookstores are attractive these days. Most are just rigid and anonymous In an age when personality prevails, and those featureless ones will not survive.” 姝潺.

“Traditional bookstores are a cultural landmark. The government should provide more support to them. As people’s tastes and reading habits change, the owners have to focus more on readers’ needs.”  漫天飞舞童鞋.

“Books sell much cheaper online than in the physical stores and speedy delivery is assured. I also like traditional bookstores and don’t want to see them closed, but they’re really average, just run-of-the-mill.” IS榴莲味.

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