Quan Imm statue made of Suar wood from Indonesia, 160cm tall.

Guanyin, Kwanyin, Guanshiyin, or Guanyin Pusa is the Chinese interpretation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (the goddess of compassion and mercy). Additionally, she is seen as an immortal in Taoism. The holy scripture dedicated to her is the Dabeizhou. Guanyin is the goddess of compassion and the sea. Guanyin also belongs to the three saints from the Western Paradise, along with Mahasthamaprapta and Amitabha Buddha. The three saints are primarily worshipped to rescue deceased loved ones from hell and grant them access to the western paradise with the help of the three saints. Guanyin is primarily invoked in prayers during times of danger in traditional Chinese religion, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism, because according to the story, Guanyin saves people who are in peril. The goddess was actually a god when it first gained popularity in China, but when images of it were made and it increasingly took on a more feminine appearance, the god became a goddess. In Korea and Japan, the image of Guanyin was adopted and also presented as a goddess. Guanyin is often depicted in paintings with a child in her arms. It therefore resembles a Buddhist version of the Catholic Mary with the baby Jesus in her arms. Another frequently depicted painting of her shows Guanyin holding a vase in her hands. This vase contains salvific water and is poured by her onto the earth, saving people from danger. Guanyin also appears in the Chinese novel 'Journey to the West'. In it, she plays the role of the savior of Sun Wukong, a rude and wicked monkey who is transformed into a peaceful monkey by Guanyin. The largest statue of this bodhisattva is located on the Chinese island of Hainan and is named Sanya's Guanyin of the Southern Sea.