A model prepares backstage before during the Heaven Gaia collection show by Chinese designer Xiong Ying on day two of China Fashion Week A/W 2021/2022 at 751D.PARK on March 25, 2021 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images)

This picture taken on April 12, 2017 shows men carrying bamboo through a forest near Dashan village near the city of Lin'an, Zhejiang Province. Lin'an is in a area of eastern Zhejiang province whose rich bamboo forests are estimated to supply up to two-thirds of China's bamboo shoots, plus a range of other products derived from the fast-growing plant that are produced both for domestic and overseas markets. (Photo by Johannes Eisele/AFP Photo)

A Chinese rescuer evacuates a young boy from flooded areas caused by heavy rains in Changsha city, central China's Hunan provincehangsha, capital of Hunan on July 3, 2017. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

This picture taken on July 9, 2013 shows heavy flood waters sweeping through Beichuan in southwest China´s Sichuan province. Rainstorms sweeping across parts of China have affected millions, causing landslides and disabling transportation in provinces such as Sichuan and Yunnan, state media reported. (Photo by AFP Photo)

A Chinese vendor wears a rooster hat as he smokes a cigarette at his souvenir stall at a fair at Temple of Earth, on the eve of Chinese New Year February 8, 2005 in Beijing, China. Chinese started February 8, to celebrate the New Year of the Rooster. (Photo by Andrew Wong/Getty Images)

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)