Hong Kong shares dropped 1.3 percent on Thursday as investors sold down blue chips to adjust their positions ahead of the index futures expiry but battered HSBC shares advanced on short covering.

HSBC, which has shed 25 percent of its market value since the beginning of 2009 to plunge to a decade-low, jumped 2.09 percent as some speculators bet on a rally in the stock after its earnings next week.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index unofficially closed 174.33 points lower at 12,830.75, with China Mobile leading losses.

The China Enterprises Index of top mainland firms was down 2.8 percent at 6,982.34, weighed down by 3.9 percent slide on the Shanghai Composite Index.