Chinese shares opened higher in Monday trading after the country's central bank opted to keep its benchmark lending rates at record lows, extending a holding pattern that matched market expectations.

The Shanghai Composite Index, the main gauge of Chinese stocks, rose 0.2% to 3,920.27. The Shenzhen Component Index climbed 0.6% to 13,716.22.

The gains follow the People's Bank of China's monthly rate fixing on Sunday, where policymakers held the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) -- the benchmark for most corporate and household loans -- steady at 3%.

The five-year LPR, which serves as the primary reference rate for residential mortgages, was also maintained at 3.5%.