BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed slightly higher on Thursday, snapping a four-day losing streak amid thin trading.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.04 percent to 3,172.1 points, while the smaller Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.1 percent higher at 10,359.09 points.
Total turnover on the two bourses stood at 464.9 billion yuan (67.53 billion U.S. dollars), down from 493.57 billion yuan on the previous trading day.
The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, ended 0.27 percent higher at 1,850.39 points.
Analysts attributed the rebound to waning investor anxiety over strengthened financial regulation, which signals the end of the market correction in past trading days.
Liquor makers and medical shares led Thursday's rally, with Yunnan Baiyao, one of the country's major pharmaceutical producers, jumping 5.44 percent to 91.31 yuan.
Kweichow Moutai rose 2.36 percent to a record high of 415.31 yuan, while Wuliangye Yibin, another famous Chinese liquor brand, gained 3.75 percent to 45.36 yuan.
Shares related to the Xiongan New Area, a new economic zone to be built near Beijing, including construction firms and companies in the vicinity, continued to fall after huge gains, dragging down Thursday's rise.
On April 1, China announced plans to create Xiongan New Area, which authorities described as a "major historic and strategic choice" that would be "crucial for the millennium to come," sparking investors' enthusiasm over related stocks.
BBMG Corp., a Beijing-based conglomerate in property development, construction and furniture, fell by the 10-percent daily limit to 7.43 yuan. Shares of the company rose by the maximum daily limit for 7 trading days after the announcement of the new area, nearly doubling the share price.
Tangshan Jidong Cement, a major cement producer in Hebei, also declined 5.99 percent to 20.26 yuan.
