A foreigner walks past a dilapidated newsstand at Sanlitun, Beijing on Jan 14, 2015. [Photo/asianewsphoto]

Sunset for newsstands

Newspaper sales is among the trades that are suffering from the rising popularity of online and mobile phone reading.

Statistics from the China Post Group show that more than 10,000 newsstands were torn down between 2008 and 2012. For vendors in Beijing, sales decreased by more than 50 percent in 2013, and many newsstands have to survive on revenue from selling phone cards and drinks.

By contrast, a survey last year showed that more than half of respondents used digital devices such as smart phones and tablets to read in 2013. Five years ago, just 24 percent of those surveyed used such technique.