BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.24 percent to 3,903.72 points.
The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.59 percent higher at 13,972.78 points.
The combined turnover of stocks covered by these two indices stood at around 2.09 trillion yuan (about 308.22 billion U.S. dollars), down from 2.5 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.
Shares related to biopharmaceuticals, precious metals and tourism led the gains, while those in sectors including fluorine chemicals, coal and education were among the top decliners.
The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 0.64 percent on Thursday to close at 3,495.59 points.
The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, closed 0.2 percent higher at 1,957.92 points on Thursday. ■
