BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed lower on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.96 percent, at 3,419.95 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 2.71 percent lower at 13,520.07 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by the two indices stood at 807 billion yuan ($124.13 billion), down from 816.97 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares related to airport and travel saw strong performances, while those related to alcohol and brokerage reported sharp losses.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, lost 4.09 percent to close at 2,644.01 points Monday.