What was the name of the 2015–16 collapse in Chinese share prices that began after the Shanghai Composite’s 2015 peak?

The collapse in Chinese share prices that began after the Shanghai Composite’s 2015 peak was the 2015–16 Chinese stock-market crash.

The Shanghai Composite Index rose rapidly through the first half of 2015, driven partly by retail investor participation and margin borrowing. It reached a closing high of 5,178.19 on June 12, 2015. Prices then fell heavily as leveraged investors faced margin calls and confidence weakened.

Chinese authorities responded with measures including interest-rate changes, restrictions on some selling, support for purchases, and investigations of market activity. The interventions stabilized the market at times but also created debate about the role of government in share-price formation.

A further worldwide sell-off occurred in August 2015 and again in early 2016, when trading halts were triggered under China’s new circuit-breaker system. The crash is distinct from China’s 2007 market peak and from later trade-war-related declines.