To the Chinese, Guanyin literally means “he who observes the sounds of the world." He is a bodhisattva, someone who has attained the highest level of enlightenment but delayed entering paradise in order to help others on Earth.
Male, female—it doesn’t really matter. In popular Buddhist belief, Guanyin can assume whatever gender and form is needed to liberate beings from ignorance and suffering.
In early Buddhist art, Guanyin’s identity was quite vague. But from the late sixth century onward, he/she was often depicted wearing a crown with a seated Buddha.
Guanyin is often shown at the spiritual abode of Mt. Potalaka, a mythical island in the Indian Ocean, attended to by Sudhana, a youth from India who was seeking enlightenment.