Whenever there is a big event, China's virtual community of some 210 million Internet users, the world's second largest at the end of 2007, is full of stories and debate.

As an increasing number of enterprises based or investing in the mainland provided unprecedented support after the May 12 massive earthquake that rocked southwestern Sichuan Province, Chinese netizens began to discuss and examine the role of thousands of companies in disaster relief.

Chinese Web portal sina.com reported on Monday enterprises on the mainland have made a combined donation of more than 4.1 billion yuan (US$587 million) in cash and goods as of on Monday afternoon.

The figure was nearly triple that of four days ago when enterprises based in or investing in the mainland had donated an estimated 1.5 billion yuan by Wednesday afternoon.

Over 140 companies provided at least 10 million yuan each in either cash or goods. Fourteen enterprises each donated 50 million yuan or more.

The five biggest corporate donors were the State Grid Corporation of China, which contributed 200 million yuan in cash and goods. Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Corp, Shanghai-based Rizhao Steel, Guangdong-based drinking producer JDB and Tianjin Rockcheck Steel Group Co Ltd each donated 100 million yuan.

Such a generous donation for disaster relief, in both total value and donation by a single company, is unprecedented in Chinese corporate history.

These companies, particularly those which granted a large sum for quake victims, had won loud applause among Chinese netizens.

Formosa, which has huge investments in the mainland, has moved many Chinese netizens by announcing a staggering 100-million-yuan donation last Wednesday.

With it, the company and its 91-year-old founder, Wang Yung-ching, were inundated with respect and honors from netizens in the mainland.

"Bravo to Wang. People in the mainland will remember your righteous act and support forever," an anonymous netizen based in central Hubei Province said in a comment following a news story on sina.com about Formosa's donation.

The JDB Group, a young and private drink-producing company which is better known in China for its popular herbal tea Wang Laoji, also won loud applause among Chinese netizens.

"I had thought you (JDB Group) might donate 2 million yuan at most. But you give 100 million in the end. That is a big surprise to me. You are excellent, and I have made a good choice to drink Wang Laoji every day," another netizen from central China's Hunan Province said.

Some companies had decided to help in other ways.

China Life Insurance (Group) Co, the nation's largest life insurer which donated 16 million yuan of cash for quake relief, had said it would pay all the living costs of those orphaned in the quake until they reached the age of 18.

Indeed, it was the first time that China-based firms made such a high donation for a disaster.