(Yicai Global) July 27 -- Gaming companies were the main recipients of the CNY93.1 billion (USD14.4 billion) that Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings invested in the first half of this year, according to an article by corporate data platform Qichacha.

Tencent, itself China’s biggest video games company, invested in 49 firms in the sector in the six months ended June 30, the report said yesterday. Twenty-one were new projects in Shanghai and Chengdu, cities which are becoming the cradle of China’s gaming startups.

Shenzhen-based Tencent also invested in other entertainment firms, corporate services and financial projects, while it channeled less money into the healthcare and education fields in the second quarter. It funded just one education project in the second quarter, down from 10 in the previous, and two healthcare projects, down from seven.

Tencent made a total of 163 investments in 160 projects in the first half. It funded for a second time community group buying platform Hunan Xingsheng Preferred E-commerce, restaurant chain Shining Taste and game developer Feiyu Technology International.

Geographically, Tencent’s investments went to 20 Chinese cities and 15 countries and regions including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Russia.

Editor: Futura Costaglione