Special Report: Global Financial Crisis　

    BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese shares dropped 1.67 percent to close at 1,983 points on Thursday over sharp falls on other global equities markets.

    The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, which covers both A and B shares, fell 1.67 percent to 1,983 points. The Shenzhen Component Index edged up 0.25 percent to 6,696 points.

    Other Asian stock markets tumbled Thursday on a Wall Street fall overnight. Benchmarks in Japan and Hong Kong both lost more than 5 percent.

    The slighter drops of Chinese indices resulted from rising investor confidence over the government's economic stimulus plan, analysts said.

    Almost all top ten heavy weights on both markets fell more than3 percent, except Sinopec, which was slightly up 0.6 percent. China Shenhua lost 5.74 percent to 18.56 yuan. China Life was down3.98 percent to 20.24 yuan.

    Tourism surged after the country's tourism bureau said it was mulling a "citizen leisure plan" to cope with the financial crisis. Tibet Shengdi Co. rose by the daily limit of 10 percent. China CYTS Tours Holding Co. was up 7 percent to 7.33 yuan.

    Encouraged by the rise in export tax rebates on textile products, textile companies all rose. Shanghai Shenda Co. rose 10 percent. Fujian Nanfang Textile Co. was up 9.9 percent.

    A Guangfa Securities note said domestic bourses would not continue falling as market sentiment was hailed by a series of economic stimulus plans the government introduced during past weeks.

    Overnight, the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 5.07 percent to 7,997.28, while the S&P 500 slid 6.12 percent to 806.58. Both closed at their lowest levels since March 2003, and are rapidly approaching the lows of the 2000 to 2002 bear market.