Chinese shares close higher Monday

BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed higher on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.45 percent to 3,291.43 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.27 percent higher at 9,905.53 points.

The combined turnover of these two indices stood at about 1.04 trillion yuan (about 144.53 billion U.S. dollars), up from 914.7 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares related to the gold and e-commerce sectors were among the biggest winners, while those related to banking and Chinese liquor emerged as the biggest losers.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 1.59 percent to close at 1,944.32 points. ■