The Shanghai Composed Index fell short of 3,400 as investors dumped shares, pushing Chinese stock markets to a lower close in the morning.

The Shanghai Composed Index ended at 3,337.03 at the lunch break, down 1.08 percent, while the Shenzhen Component Index finished 1.51 percent lower at 13,462.36. The ChiNext, which tracks growth enterprises listed in Shenzhen, fell 1.54 percent to 2,659.97.

Editor: Ben Armour