This is a cast bronze Rupa or statue of Kuan Yin (also known as Quan Yin and Kwan Yin), the Goddesses of Mercy and Compassion. Her name translates as The One Who Hears the Cries of the World, and she is the Chinese representation of the Boddhisattva Avalokiteswara.
It is believed that a Bodhisattva (or Boddhisatva, as it is sometimes spelled), was a human who has forsaken the final stage of enlightenment in order to help all earthly beings attain enlightenment first.
