1st LD-Writethru: Chinese shares close higher Monday

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed higher Monday on better-than-expected economic data.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went up 1.48 percent, at 3,136.64. The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.92 percent higher at 10,626.51.

Combined turnover on the two bourses stood at 421.9 billion yuan (about 66.4 billion U.S. dollars), up from 360 billion yuan the previous trading day.

A Caixin survey showed on Friday that growth in China's service sector picked up in April.

The Caixin General Services Business Activity Index came in at 52.9 in April, up from 52.3 in March. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while below 50 represents contraction.

Sectors including excavating, papermaking and liquor led the gains.

Sales by China's major excavator producers expanded faster in April, adding to evidence that economic activity remains strong.

The country's 25 leading excavator makers sold 26,561 digging machines in April, up 84.5 percent year on year, compared with a 78.9-percent increase in March, data from the China Construction Machinery Association showed Monday.

Tsingtao Brewery Co., Jiangsu King's Luck Brewery Joint-stock Co., and Beijing Shunxin Agriculture Co., parent company of Niu Lanshan Brewery, all climbed by the daily limit of 10 percent, to 47.25 yuan, 20.13 yuan and 30.04 yuan, respectively.

Bucking the trend, shares in planting and air transportation industries declined.

The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's NASDAQ-style enterprises, gained 2.07 percent to close at 1,852.34. Enditem