Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin was recognized as China's most generous charitable benefactor with total donations of 438 million yuan in 2014, according to this year's Forbes China Charity List released on April 18.

Wang Jianlin has been placed among the top 3 on the list for the past four consecutive years since 2011.

This year marks the ninth time for Forbes China to publish the charity list, which selected 100 Chinese entrepreneurs or enterprises with a combined cash donation of 4.46 billion yuan in 2014, a slight decline from 2013's 4.65 billion yuan.

The threshold for the charity list this year is raised to 5 million yuan from 4.2 million yuan last year.

12 entrepreneurs each donated more than 100 million yuan in 2014, accounting for 51.4% of the amount donated. Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin, China Minsheng Banking Co Ltd President Dong Wenbiao and Evergrande Real Estate Group Chairman Xu Jiayin ranked as the top three on the list with total donations of 438 million yuan, 272 million yuan and 259 million yuan respectively.

Among the 100 philanthropists on the list, 39 also featured on the 2013 list, 21 made the list for three consecutive years, and 11 made the list for five consecutive years. It is worth noticing that 42 billionaires from the 2014 Forbes China Charity List also featured on the Forbes China Rich List 2013, where Wang Jianlin occupies the top position.

Charitable benefactors from Guangdong, Beijing and Jiangsu occupied the top 3 spots on the list and accounted for 46% of donors on the list. Companies from Guangdong province itself accounted for a quarter of all donors. Beijing, Guangdong and Jiangsu also ranked as the top 3 in terms of donation amount, accounting for 26.7%, 21.4% and 11.4% respectively.

Real estate companies on the list not only generated the highest proportion of individual wealth, but also donated the most money to charity. A total of 40 such real estate companies were on the list, a fact that demonstrates the heightened level of philanthropic activity among real estate tycoons in recent years.

In 2013, a number of natural disasters such as the Ya'an earthquake captivated a world audience and resulted in an outpour of charitable donations. Areas such as healthcare and education received the largest proportion of funding, due to a large number of successful entrepreneurs determined to give back to their alma mater, as well as a general population that views these sectors as most in need of assistance.