Aerial view of a farmer feeding ducks at a farm on November 6, 2020 in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by Zhang Lianhua/VCG via Getty Images)

After a long time renovation project, the old town in Taiyuan city which was founded in 1357, finally lights up and opens to public in Taiyuan City, north China's Shanxi Province, 23 November 2020. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Residents wearing masks to protect from the coronavirus cross a junction in Beijing on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

People take a photo next to a blooming tree during cherry blossom season in Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, China on March 31, 2021. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Sophia answers questions at Hanson Robotics studio in Hong Kong on March 29, 2021. Sophia is a robot of many talents — she speaks, jokes, sings and even makes art. In March, she caused a stir in the art world when a digital work she created as part of a collaboration was sold at an auction for $688,888 in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT). (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

An applicant try-out during a stewardess recruiting interview for China Southern Airlines on October 12, 2006 in Beijing, China. Over 160 candidates have competed at the Beijing Region selection for a total of 15 berths in the next stage of recruitment. The China Southern Airlines launched a nationwide campaign to single out qualified stewardesses, the first of its kind to recruit stewardesses through TV shows. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

People dodge waves in Sansha Township of Xiapu, southeast China's Fujian Province, July 10, 2015. China is on highest alert as super typhoon Chan-Hom approaches the eastern coast at high speeds. The National Meteorological Center issued a red alert on Friday morning for Chan-Hom, whose center was spotted 550 km southeast off the coast of Zhejiang Province at 5 a.m. (Photo by Jiang Kehong/Xinhua)

Some are in it just for the money, others to help buy a meal. Then there are those who trade for fun or to spend time among friends. Millions of investors – pensioners, security guards, high-school students – dominate China's stock markets, conducting about 80 percent of all trades. Retirees gather in brokerage houses dotted around China also to enjoy some company and savour the air conditioning on hot days. Some start as young as 13, trading from home with an eye on future careers in finance. Winning isn't guaranteed. This year, among the most turbulent in China's financial history, its stock markets more than doubled in the six months to May, only to crash amid concerns that growth in the country, which makes everything from cars to steel, is slowing faster than previously thought. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)