Asia-Pacific News

Chinese farmer invested life savings in stocks, lost it all

Chinese farmer loses money and hope to stock market
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Chinese farmer loses money and hope to stock market

Investors throughout China are waiting for the government to step in and buy more stocks so they can close out their positions, but many are losing hope.

Yang Cheng, a farmer in the remote town of Panzhihua in southwest China, was one of many Chinese citizens who started buying up stocks after the government began promoting equity investment as part of a larger plan to expand the country's economy.

"When the market climbed to 4,000 points, I realized the risks were pretty high. However, public opinion on government policies affected my judgment," he told CNBC.

Read More The real casualties of China's market meltdown

But after sinking his entire life savings—$164,000—and his relatives' money into shares of a local mining company, he lost everything. Not only that, but Yang's brokerage convinced him to borrow more than $1 million to buy stocks on margin. He now owes roughly what he originally invested after liquidating his portfolio.

Like many Chinese, Yang traveled to the office of the leadership and stock market regulator in Beijing to seek help, but was turned away.

"I don't know what to do. I trusted the government too much. I won't touch stocks again," Yang said.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission said late Monday that the government will increase purchases of stocks in an effort to support the equity market, while the central bank injected cash into money markets and hinted at further monetary easing.

—CNBC's Eunice Yoon reported this story from China.