Chinese shares opened lower on Monday as Tokyo stocks dropped more than 5 percent once after the opening.

A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan on March 11, triggering a tsunami that caused hundreds of deaths and catastrophic damage.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.34 percent to 2,923.98.

The Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.26 percent at the opening to 12,814.1.