What a Beijing cafe dispute reveals about China’s struggling bookshops

China’s bricks-and-mortar bookstores are increasingly counting on coffee, merchandise and cultural events rather than books to stay afloat – a survival strategy whose tensions were laid bare after a major chain asked a book buyer to vacate its cafe seating unless she bought a drink.

The dispute at a Beijing branch of Sisyphe Bookstore, one of the country’s largest chains, went viral earlier this month, sparking an online debate over the struggles bookshops face in the digital age.

The customer,...