(Yicai Global) Sept. 2 -- China's mainland stock markets let go of morning gains and slid into a mixed close at the half break. Benchmarks in Shenzhen did better than the one in Shanghai.

The Shanghai Composite Index closed 0.39 percent lower at 3,397.38. The Shenzhen Component Index was at 13,854.28, edged up 0.03 percent. The ChiNext Price Index, which tracks growth enterprises listed in the southern tech hub, rose 0.37 percent to 2,760.56.

Agriculture firms led the pack as Xinjiang Tianshan Animal Husbandry Bio-Engineering [SHE:300313], a leading western China animal breeder, hit the 20 percent limit up to CNY19.3 (USD2.80) after resuming trading follow a three-day suspension. Its share price has skyrocketed over 175 percent in the last seven days amid a circus of market hype.

Editor: Ben Armour