A comprehensive report on the top philanthropists of 2015 showed a woman on the top spot for the first time since the annual report was first published in 2011. 

He Qiaonv, founder and chairman of architecture firm Beijing Orient Landscape, topped Beijing Normal University's (BNU) top 100 charitable donors in the mainland. BNU's China Philanthropy Research Institute compiles a list of the most generous people every year. 

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He donated 2.9 billion worth of stocks to a charity established under the company's name.

Alibaba chairman Jack Ma, who placed 10th on the list, donated ¥100 million ($15 million) to Hangzhou Normal University, his alma mater. 

Donations

The country's 100 most charitable philanthropists donated a total of ¥12.8 billion ($1.95 billion) in 2015, a significant fall from 2014's ¥30.4 billion. 

The research found out that education received the largest donations and philanthropists chose private organizations over government-backed ones. 

"The higher ratio of donations for private foundations was partly due to stronger management and tighter supervision of enterprises and partly due to poor information disclosure of the government charities," said Zhang Gaorong, a member of the China Philanthropy Institute.

Nearly half of the 12.8 billion yuan ($1.95 billion) worth of donations made in 2015 went to foundations of universities, with 10 percent of them coming from alumni. Data showed that 47.5 percent went to higher education charities, while government and government-backed charities only received 8.8 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. 

Apart from the education sector, development of primary and secondary schools, poverty relief, and environmental protection also received donations. 

TagsChinese philanthropists, China charitable donations, Beijing Normal University, Jack Ma, He Qiaonv