The plight of traditional bookstores is not a new topic. Over the past few years, brick-and-mortar bookstores have been struggling to make ends meet amid fierce competition from online bookstores, and their situation just got worse. 

Dangdang.com, China's largest online book retailer, announced early this month that it was launching a new mobile app which would enable its customers to scan book covers via handsets.

The move has set off great waves in the market, as some industry experts are concerned that the new feature is likely to worsen the situation for traditional bookstores, which have become something of an endangered species.

The new function allows readers to snap a picture of a book cover with their cell phone cameras and receive details about the work from dangdang.com, according to the company.

The website's massive book database is expected to offer a recognition rate of more than 98 percent, according to an official from the mobile app department of the online book retailer.

Some other small-sized online bookstores have previously offered similar services, but industry experts say they failed to attain the positive customer response that Dangdang has met, mostly due to their less comprehensive book databases.

However, the online bookstore giant's launch of the new function has certainly triggered widespread debate, as bookstore owners are deeply concerned that the already grim market reality they are facing will be further deteriorated if the app changes the way many customers shop for books.

For consumers, the new app makes use of technology to make book buying more fun and efficient. But for bookstores, however, it poses a huge threat to their survival.

Many brick-and-mortar bookstore owners are worrying that their more Internet-savvy customers, who account for a large amount of the book market, are very likely to make use of the new function to scan a desired book displayed at one of their stores, only to purchase it online for a more reasonable price.

If this scenario becomes common practice, traditional bookstores would simply function as showrooms for tangible books that will be purchased online, making their position in the market even less tenable, according to Wang Xinyi, who worked for Beijing Forestsong Bookstore near Peking University.

"Imagine people just entering a bookstore, taking photos of the books they like and then just leaving. It makes me feel horrible," Wang told the Global Times. "It would be such a sad story for all bookstores."

Some say that this new feature might serve to blot out the last rays of hope for the survival of traditional bookstores.

Jifeng Bookstore, formerly the largest privately owned chain in Shanghai, is among those that failed to survive. Many of its once loyal customers began to prefer online purchasing, seeing it as more convenient and affordable than going to a bookstore.

Several of its branches, which once stood in popular commercial districts like Metro City, Fuxing Road, Jing'an Temple and Raffles City, are all closed now due to increases in rent as well as sharp decreases in sales.

Jifeng Bookstore was arguably one of the most beloved bookstores in Shanghai. For many local readers, it was not simply a place to buy books, but a cozy spot to while away an afternoon, flipping through a book while sipping a cup of coffee or tea.

The most recent chain to shut its doors is O2 Sun Bookstore, which was founded in Xiamen, Fujian Province. After 16 years in business, it had to close up shop when sales dropped to the point that it could no longer make payments to suppliers.

The disappearance of bookstores has occurred alongside the rapid growth of online booksellers, with the latter providing a quicker, more convenient way to shop for books while their low overheads allow them to sell at a lower price.

"As traditional bookstores close, a lifestyle is also in danger of disappearing," said Xue Yuan, author of the book Hello! The Independent Bookstores, which was published last year and focuses on independent bookstores' situation in China.

Still, there are some bookstores that are determined to weather this storm and remain a part of people's lives. Beijing's Sanlian Bookstore is among the few who have found creative ways to survive.

Years ago, Sanlian's second floor was a space for book displays and special events. When the store could no longer afford to occupy two floors, it invited another business to create what is now the spacious Sculpting in Time Café to help attract customers.

While other bookstores have closed their doors, Sanlian's move has kept it in business, however tenuously. For many of the bookstore's customers, buying a book or two and heading upstairs to enjoy an afternoon of leisurely reading is still something no online experience could ever offer.

Li Yun, an avid customer of bookstores, said she's always liked the books Sanlian offered, but the café "gives her a reason to stay longer, and come back frequently."