BEIJING - Chinese stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.49 percent to 3,213.59 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.13 percent higher at 10,722.87 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by the two indices stood at 857.1 billion yuan ($120.2 billion), up from 814.5 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares in sectors such as furniture and finance led the gains, while those related to media and entertainment suffered major losses.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.28 percent to close at 2,123.96 points Thursday.