1st LD-Writethru: Chinese shares close mixed Monday

BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed mixed on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.24 percent, at 3,309.62 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.01 percent higher at 11,014.55 points. The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.38 percent to close at 1,797.77 points.

Combined turnover on the two bourses stood at 407.3 billion yuan (about 61.5 billion U.S. dollars), up from 387.7 billion yuan the previous trading day.

Sectors of liquor making and finance were among the biggest winners. Luzhou Laojiao rose 3.9 percent to 62.35 yuan per share and Sichuan Swellfun surged 8.53 percent to 45.28 yuan.

Environmental protection shares declined Monday with Safbon Water Service Inc. dropping 2.9 percent to 8.71 yuan per share.

Starting in December, nine provincial-level regions, including Beijing, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, began using a new water resource tax, following trials in north China's Hebei Province.

The tax is levied on the use of surface and ground water, with higher rates on enterprises that consume a lot of water.

Water use exceeding quotas or in overexploited areas will be met with tax rates up to four times more, while use for agricultural purposes will see a reduction or exemption. The use of water that has come from sewage treatment facilities will also have favorable rates. Enditem