A man looks at the description of a sculpture depicting 17-year-old male chimpanzee Jaska, by Gillie and Mark, in London, Tuesday, September 20, 2022. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

British actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, 1955. Jumpology. (Photo by Philippe Halsman)

Supermodel Bella Hadid (L) arrives at the Peppermint Club to watch her bestfriend, Jesse Jo Stark, perform her music in Los Angeles, CA on August 29, 2018. (Photo by Photographer Group/Splash News and Pictures)

A jogger runs on the bank of Donaukanal channel in central Vienna, Austria, September 5, 2016. (Photo by Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters)

The Leshan Giant Buddha, a 71-metre tall stone statue, is carved out of a cliff face in the southern part of Sichuan province in China. (Photo by Suchet Suwanmongkol/500px)

A woman throws water at passing motorists during celebrations for the Thingyan festival, also known as the Buddhist New Year, in Naypyidaw, Myanmar on April 16, 2019. (Photo by Thet Aung/AFP Photo)

Soccer fans wearing Argentina's football team jersey arrive at workers' stadium to watch a friendly match between Australia and Argentina in Beijing on June 15, 2023. (Photo by Jade Gao/AFP Photo)

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)