Crystal ice cubes at Jingyuetan National Forest Park attract tourists in Changchun City, northeast China's Jilin Province on January 10, 2024. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

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)

Norway's Karsten Warholm celebrates winning the men's 400m hurdles at the Diamond League in London, July 21, 2018. (Photo by Andrew Boyers/Action Images via Reuters)

Chen Ruolin of China performs a jump during the mixed team event final at the Aquatics World Championships in Kazan, Russia July 29, 2015. (Photo by Stefan Wermuth/Reuters)

Caio Souza of Team Brazil competes on vault during Men's Qualification on day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 24, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)

US actress, model and transgender activist Leyna Bloom poses during a photocall for the film “Port Authority” at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2019. (Photo by Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

Servicewomen march during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kiev, Ukraine on August 20, 2018. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Cambodia's Kun Sreynich and Philippines' Lopez Leah in action during individual judo finals at Chroy Changvar Convention Centre Hall C in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 15, 2023. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)