Chinese stocks closed higher Friday with small-cap firms outperforming bluechips.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed 0.01 percent higher at 3,317.62, while the Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.63 percent higher closing at 11,013.15.

Trading was thin, with combined turnover on the two bourses at 387.7 billion yuan (about 58.7 billion U.S. dollars).

Companies with small capitalization, especially those in the information service and electronics industries, were among the biggest winners.

Chip makers gained the most, with shares of Unigroup Guoxin up 5 percent.

The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's NASDAQ-style enterprises, gained 1.94 percent to close at 1,804.62.

Bucking the trend, large-cap banking and securities companies saw their shares slump.

Citic Securities, a major securities broker, lost 1.3 percent.

The SSE 50 Index, which tracks 50 stocks on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with large market capitalization and high liquidity, fell 0.74 percent.