Chinese shares closed more than 2 percent down on Monday morning from the previous trading day as investors feared the consumer price index (CPI) this week could hit a new high.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index slipped 110.26 points, or 2.56 percent, to close at 4,190.25 points in the morning session. The Shenzhen Component Index fell 432.5 points, or 2.78 percent, to 15,128.36 points.
Combined turnover of the two bourses reached 72.18 billion yuan (US$10.2 billion).
China's February CPI is to be published on Tuesday, according to the schedule of information releases on the National Bureau of Statistics website.
Consumer prices rose 7.1 percent in January, the highest figure in more than 11 years. A Bank of China report forecast the figure in February would hit 8.3 percent.
