The concept of a female goddess in China existed thousands of years prior to the development of Buddhism in India – and yet when the ‘male’ Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (evoking ‘Compassion’) was transmitted into China from India – ‘he’ morphed into a ‘she’ (becoming locally known as ‘Guanyin’ [觀音] or she who is ‘Attentive to Sound’) – whilst retaining all the Buddhist characteristics. Why did this ‘transgender’ event occur?