The final trading day of August saw major A-share indices open lower, with the Shenzhen Component Index and the ChiNext Index both falling over 1% by midday. More than 3,000 stocks advanced while over 2,300 declined during the morning session, according to market data.
Film and television exhibition led gains, followed by strength in coal, banking, and general equipment sectors. AI video and AIGC concept stocks also performed well, while precious metals plunged and photovoltaic equipment and innovative drug sectors lagged. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index dropped 0.67%, the Hang Seng中国企业指数 fell 0.26%, and the Hang Seng Tech Index lost 0.97%. The Hang Seng Biotechnology Index tumbled 4.44%, with pharmaceutical stocks under pressure as WuXi AppTec and BeiGene declined over 4%, while WuXi Biologics, Innovent Biologics, and Akeso all fell more than 5%.
Where Market Momentum Is Building
AI content, AI video, and AIGC concept stocks rallied strongly on Monday morning. Mango Excellent Media hit its 20cm daily limit, while Ireader Technology rose to a 10cm limit. China Online rose over 13%, Kunlun Tech gained more than 4%, and Jetsen Kunpeng and Huace Film & TV also advanced. The catalyst came from the official announcement that 'Journey to the West: The Later Chapters' has been scheduled for release on August 31, marking the first AI-generated long-form drama to air on satellite television. Produced with AI support from Seedance 2.0 and Seedance 2.5, the series uses AIGC for all visuals and character performances—featuring no human actors—and adopts an innovative 'production-review-broadcast' parallel model.
The film and television sector also strengthened, with Shanghai Film, CCTV China Median, Bona Film Group, and Huanrui Century all hitting daily limits. According to data from online platforms cited by CCTV News, as of 1:00 PM on August 30, total box office revenue for the 2026 summer season (including pre-sales) had surpassed 12.34 billion yuan, exceeding the final total for the 2025 summer season and marking a second consecutive year of growth. 'Kung Fu Women's Football' leads the summer box office with over 2.3 billion yuan in ticket sales.
Banking Sector Rallies Against the Trend
Banking stocks showed notable resilience during Monday morning trading. Bank of China rose 4.36% to 6.46 yuan per share, pushing its total market capitalization above 2 trillion yuan and reaching a record high. Bank of Beijing and Qilu Bank each advanced more than 5%, leading the sector's upside momentum as investors sought defensive positioning amid the broader market decline.