Our answer
China’s best-loved bodhisattva 观音菩萨
Worshipped as a Buddhist bodhisattva and as a folk goddess of mercy
The short answer
Guanyin (观音, Guānyīn), also spelled Guan Yin or Kuan Yin, is the Chinese name for Avalokiteśvara, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion. Shown as male in India and in China before the Song dynasty, the figure has mostly been depicted as female since about the 12th century, and is popularly called the goddess of mercy.
| Chinese name | 观音 Guānyīn, short for 观世音 Guānshìyīn, ‘the one who perceives the sounds of the world’ |
|---|---|
| Other spellings | Guan Yin, Kuan Yin; Sanskrit Avalokiteśvara |
| Known as | Bodhisattva of compassion; the goddess of mercy |
| Shown as female | Mostly since about the 12th century; earlier Chinese images look male |
| Sacred site | Mount Putuo, an island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang |
| Festival days | 19th day of the 2nd, 6th and 9th lunar months |
| Biggest statue | Guanyin of Nanshan, Sanya: 78 m, or 108 m with pedestal (enshrined 2005) |
Who is Guanyin?
Guanyin is a bodhisattva: in Mahayana Buddhism, an enlightened being who stays in the world to help others. Her full Chinese name, 观世音 (Guānshìyīn), means ‘the one who perceives the sounds of the world’, and she is the Chinese form of the Indian bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra is devoted to this bodhisattva, who hears the cries of suffering beings and can appear in 33 different forms to help them.
In India Avalokiteśvara was regarded as male, and Chinese images before the Song dynasty (960–1279) look masculine. Since about the 12th century, Guanyin has more commonly been shown as a woman in China and most of East Asia. A popular Chinese legend tells of the princess Miaoshan (妙善), who refused an arranged marriage, gave her own eyes and arms to cure her father, and was transformed into the Thousand-Armed Guanyin. It is a story, not history, but it shows how the figure became a Chinese one.[1]
Why Guanyin is so popular in China
Guanyin belongs to more than one tradition. Pew Research Center describes how the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara has become an important folk deity, the goddess of mercy, and she is honoured in Chinese folk religion and Taoism as well as Buddhism. Many people pray to her without calling themselves Buddhist: only about 4% of Chinese adults identify as Buddhist, but 33% say they believe in Buddha and/or a bodhisattva.
Her appeal is personal and practical. Tradition sees her as a protector of women and children and as a giver of children; in coastal areas she is a guardian of fishermen and sailors, and many believe the sea goddess Mazu is one of her manifestations. See our guide to Buddhism in China for how belief and practice fit together.[1][2]
How to recognise Guanyin: common images
Guanyin statues come in many forms. These are the ones a visitor to China is most likely to meet.[1]
| Form | What you see | Meaning, by tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Vase and willow | A small vase in the left hand, a willow branch in the right | The vase holds pure water that relieves suffering; the willow sprinkles it |
| White-robed Guanyin (白衣观音) | A woman in a flowing white robe | The most familiar feminine form |
| Thousand-Armed Guanyin (千手观音) | Many arms fanned out around the body; also called the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin | Her power to help everyone at once; the most popular of her esoteric forms in China |
| Child-giving Guanyin (送子观音) | Guanyin with a child on her lap | Prayed to by people hoping for children |
| Fish-basket Guanyin (鱼篮观音) | Guanyin holding a basket of fish | Linked to fishermen |
Mount Putuo and Guanyin’s festival days
Mount Putuo (普陀山, Pǔtuó Shān) is a small island in the Zhoushan archipelago off Zhejiang, in the East China Sea. It is one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism and is held to be Guanyin’s *bodhimaṇḍa*, her place of enlightenment. Its three traditional main temples are Puji, Fayu and Huiji, and today there are more than 30 major temples, plus a 33-metre statue of Guanyin at Zizhulin.
Pilgrims mark the 19th day of the 2nd, 6th and 9th lunar months as Guanyin’s birth, enlightenment and the start of her practice, and these are the busiest days on the island. Mount Putuo also holds an annual Guanyin Culture Festival. Because the dates follow the lunar calendar, they fall on different Western dates each year.[3][4]
Big Guanyin statues in China
| Statue | Where | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Guanyin of Nanshan (南山海上观音) | Nanshan, Sanya, Hainan; enshrined in 2005 | 78 m; 108 m with pedestal |
| Guanyin of Mount Xiqiao (西樵山观音) | Mount Xiqiao, Nanhai District, Foshan, Guangdong | 62 m; 77 m with pedestal |
| Guanyin at Zizhulin, Mount Putuo | Zhoushan, Zhejiang | 33 m |
Questions readers ask
Who is Guanyin?
Guanyin is the Chinese name of Avalokiteśvara, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion who, Buddhists believe, hears the cries of all suffering beings. In China she is usually shown as a woman and is also worshipped in folk religion as the goddess of mercy.
Is Guanyin male or female?
Both, depending on time and place. Avalokiteśvara was regarded as male in India, and Chinese images before the Song dynasty look masculine. Since about the 12th century Guanyin has mostly been depicted as female in China and much of East Asia.
What is the difference between Guanyin, Guan Yin and Kuan Yin?
None: they are different English spellings of the same Chinese name, 观音; Guanyin is the standard pinyin. The full name is Guanshiyin, ‘the one who perceives the sounds of the world’.
What does Guanyin hold?
Most often a small vase of pure water in her left hand and a willow branch in her right, used to sprinkle the water. Other forms hold a child, a fish basket, prayer beads, a sutra or a lotus, and the Thousand-Armed Guanyin holds many objects at once.
When is Guanyin’s birthday?
Guanyin’s birthday is celebrated on the 19th day of the 2nd lunar month. The 19th day of the 6th and 9th lunar months are also Guanyin days, marking her enlightenment and the start of her practice. Mount Putuo is busiest on all three.
How tall is the Nanshan Guanyin statue?
The Guanyin of Nanshan in Sanya, Hainan, is 78 metres tall, or 108 metres including its pedestal. It has three faces, was enshrined in 2005 and is one of the tallest statues in the world.
Where is Guanyin’s sacred mountain?
Mount Putuo, an island in Zhoushan off the coast of Zhejiang province. It is one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism and has more than 30 major temples.
Why is Guanyin called the goddess of mercy?
Because compassion is her defining quality as a bodhisattva, and in Chinese folk religion she became a goddess people turn to for help: for children, safety at sea and relief from suffering. ‘Goddess of mercy’ is the usual English name for this folk role.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Guanyin · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Pew Research Center, Measuring Religion in China: Buddhism (30 August 2023) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Mount Putuo · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- China Daily Zhoushan, Mount Putuo (26 June 2018) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Guanyin of the South Sea of Sanya · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- China Daily / chinaservicesinfo.com, Nanshan Mountain (Sanya) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Guanyin of Mount Xiqiao · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction