This sculpture is a rare representation of Sengqie (act. ca. 660–710), a monk from the western regions who founded a temple in Sizhou (modern Liuhuai, Anhui Province), on the south shore of the Huai River. Popularly known as Sizhou Heshang (The Monk of Sizhou), he was venerated after his death as an incarnation of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Mercy. In Song times he became a cult figure revered for his power to prevent floods.
