BEIJING - Chinese stocks rallied on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 1.16 percent to 3,223.64 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 2.25 percent higher at 9,754.64 points.

The combined turnover of these two indices stood at about 1.61 trillion yuan (roughly $223 billion), down from 1.7 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares related to consumption emerged as top gainers, with duty-free sectors continuing their strong performance, while shares in the brewery and utility sectors suffered big losses.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 2.27 percent to close at 1,900.53 points on Thursday.