Senior citizens sit outside US retailer Victoria’s Secret in Beijing, China, 08 April 2025. On 07 April, 2025, US President Donald Trump threatened China with an additional 50 percent tariff on goods imported into the US if it does not withdraw a 34 percent tariff it imposed on US imports into China. The 34 percent tariff China set was in response to Trump’s earlier 34 percent tariff on Chinese imports into the US. Trump gave China a deadline of 08 April to withdraw its tax, or it will face the 50 percent additional tax. (Photo by Jessica Lee/EPA/EFE)

A vlogger who dressed up to look like a humanoid robot poses at the Shanghai auto show on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

This picture taken on June 18, 2025 shows a woman posing for a picture next to the character Mokoko as she visits Pop Mart's theme park Pop Land in Beijing. (Photo by Pedro Pardo/AFP Photo)

Farmers harvest lotus loots in a pond on July 21, 2025 in Nantong, Jiangsu Province of China. Lotus root harvest season is in full swing in Nantong as farmers work to harvest and transport fresh lotus roots to meet market demand. (Photo by Zhai Huiyong/VCG via Getty Images)

Humanoid robots fight during a kickboxing match on day two of the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games at National Speed Skating Oval on August 16, 2025 in Beijing, China. The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG) will be held from August 14 to 17 in Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, bringing together 280 teams from 16 countries across five continents. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Models present a creations by Maggie Ma collection during the SS2026 China Fashion Week, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, September 9, 2025. (Photo by Andy Wong/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)

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)