China's NASDAQ-like bourse, ChiNext, was off to a flying start in Shenzhen on Friday.

So high was the investors' response that trading in the shares of all the 28 companies had to be halted for 30 minutes at least once after they rose 20 percent over their opening prices, setting off circuit breakers and underscoring massive speculation in the nascent market for start-ups.

Cable TV equipment maker Chengdu Geeya Technology Co's shares were suspended from trading thrice after they jumped more than 80 percent.