The most generous 100 entrepreneurs in China donated a total of 17.31 billion yuan (around 2.54 billion U.S. dollars) last year, the largest amount donated by the grouping in six years, and far ahead of the 10.38 billion yuan donated in 2016, according to research by Forbes China.
The minimum donation needed to make this year's list was 13 million yuan, far ahead of the 5 million yuan minimum last year.
This year's list included 22 entrepreneurs who also appeared on the list in 2017.
Evergrande Group's chairman Xu Jiayin, founder of Midea Group He Hengjian, and chairman of Winfast Holding Zhang Jianbin lead the list with donations of 4.21 billion yuan, 1.09 billion yuan, and 1 billion yuan respectively.
Among the 100 entrepreneurs on this year's list, which is the 12th of its kind by Forbes China, 42 of them donated at least 100 million yuan, totaling 15.35 billion yuan.
Donations were primarily funneled into education, poverty alleviation, and medical care.
The Forbes report said that an increasing number of entrepreneurs donate money using charitable organizations they have established.
