BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.03 percent, at 3,445.55 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.22 percent higher at 13,809.77 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by the two indices stood at 710.8 billion yuan (about 109.4 billion U.S. dollars), down from 735.5 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares related to home appliances and medical equipment saw strong performances, while those related to environmental protection and electricity led the losses.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, gained 1.2 percent to close at 2,704.14 points Wednesday.