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Zhang Chao Ming
Zao Fo Xiang—Statue of the Buddhist Goddess
of Mercy  587 CE

Courtesy of The National Library
of China

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The National Library of China
Beijing
China

Statue of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy
587 CE

The carving of statues and stone tablets in China began during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534), and ceased during the middle of the Tang dynasty (618–906). Most of the statues made during this period were of the Buddha, the Amida (the Buddha of Infinite Qualities), the Maitreya Buddha and the Goddess of Mercy. At first, the statues were carved on stones and cliffs, or as stone tablets to be put in caves and niches. Later they were gilded or painted. The sculptors called themselves 'fo di zi' (Buddha followers), 'zheng xin fo di zi' (the right Buddhist disciples), 'upasika' (lay female devotees) and 'upasaka' (lay male devotees).

In Chinese Buddhism, the Goddess of Mercy is one of the four Buddhas, and is the embodiment of mercy and empathy, devoted to saving humankind. In the Lotus sutra, it is said that if anyone in distress recites the name of the Goddess, she will appear in one of her 33 forms to give comfort. Legend has it that she also appears and preaches in Putuo Mountain, Zhejiang Province, China. The statues and paintings of the Goddess of Mercy in Chinese monasteries originally represented the Goddess as a male, but, from the time of the Tang Dynasty, the female figure prevailed. The text around the base of this early sculpture reads: 'Zhang Chaoming, a follower of Buddha, respectfully made a statue of the Goddess of Mercy in the name of the Emperor, my parents, all the young and old in my family and every living creature'.