Kuan-Yin
Kuan-Yin was a Chinese Buddhist goddess based on a real woman, the way Kuan-Ti was based on a real man. According to the story, her father murdered her, and she went down to the underworld. But when she got there, she recited the holy books, and that prevented the god of the underworld from torturing the dead souls. He didn't like that, and so he sent Kuan-Yin back to be alive again. When Kuan-Yin came back to life, she spent all her time studying Buddhist ideas, and so the Buddha made her immortal (so she would never die).
Kuan Yin became the goddess of mercy and compassion. She was very popular. People who wanted her to help them shook rattles and set off firecrackers to get her attention. She is usually shown as a lady holding a baby, dressed in white, sitting on a lotus.
Stories about Kuan-Yin seem to have actually gotten started from stories about a male Indian boddhisatva called Avalokitesvara. Somehow, along the way, Kuan-Yin changed both her name and her gender!
To find out more about Chinese gods, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Kuan-yin, by Chun-Fang Yu (2000). Not for kids, but a detailed account of the historical development of this Chinese goddess.
The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient China, by Leonard Everett Fisher (2003). For kids. One page for each god, with lots of pictures and some historical context.
Five Heavenly Emperors: Chinese Myths of Creation, by Song Nan Zhang (1994). Stories for kids.
Chinese Mythology A to Z, by Jeremy Roberts (2004).
Dragons and Demons : Myths of China, by Stewart Ross (1998). A few Chinese stories, retold for kids.
Dragons, Gods and Spirits from Chinese Mythology, by Tao Sanders (1983). More of a child's encyclopedia.
Main Chinese gods page
Main Chinese religion page
Main China page
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