(Chinese traditions)... the god(dess) Guanyin...?

Guanyin is a "he", but has many "forms".

According to the 《華嚴經》 (mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra) and 《悲華經》, Guanyin is described as a strong but kind male figure. According to other doctrines written prior to the Tang Dynasty, Guanyin is male. All statues of Guanyin prior to the Tan Dynasty is of male form.

Then in 《普門品》, it was mentioned that Guanyin has 32 different forms (both male and female) and are changeable depending on the needs of the people. For example, 送子觀音 was popular among women (especially pregnant women and women in labor). Many of the forms were of female body because the female form is believed to better symbolize the idea of "motherhood", "kindness" and "patience".

Because of this, people began to make statues of Guanyin in female forms. Soon, different stories of the origin of each "form" of Guanyin also came about, for example, the "thousand hand" Guanyin was said to be born a princess but became a nun.

I know, I know, I'm not native Chinese! I'll toss this into the answer pile and then move on!

I've started to study Buddhism (and it is very confusing to me!), but from what I have read and asked of people, Guanyin started as male and to some, is still considered to be male. However, Guanyin has been revised to be female and is considered by most to be female.

(This is only one of the reasons I find Buddhism to be confusing! I also find it quite difficult to keep up with all the Bodhisattvas!)

Here's a brief history:

Guanyin, the goddess of mercy

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have put off entering paradise in order to help others attain enlightenment. There are many different Bodhisattvas, but the most famous in China is Avalokitesvara, known in Chinese as Guanyin.

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was depicted in the male form in the beginning. But later on the image became that of either a man or a woman, and eventually, since the Yuan Dynasty, the image gradually became predominantly that of a young woman, such as one holding a holy vase in her hand, pouring out holy water to save the multitude. Some people even call her the Goddess of Mercy or the Female Buddha.

According to legend, Guanyin was born on the nineteenth of the second lunar month, achieved enlightenment on the nineteenth of the sixth lunar month and achieved nirvana on the nineteenth of the ninth lunar month. It is said that she is the top Bodhisattva beside Shakyamuni Buddha, and an assistant Bodhisattva beside Amitabha Buddha in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss. It is believed that any sentient being who recites her name during a disaster would be heard and salvaged by her, which can explain why she is the most worshipped figure in Buddhism in China. Literally in the Chinese language, "Guanyin" means "observing the sounds", which means Guanyin would always observe all the sounds from the world and always listen to requests from her worshippers.

http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/more/Guanyin.html

(Now you've got me really curious, though! I've plugged this into my "dig deeper file" when I have more spare time . . . rolling eyes!)

EDIT： Have you tried going down to one of the temples in your town and talking to the monks? They would probably be the most informed on the topic and would be a wealth of information. I'm hoping to do the same (talk to monks at temples about a variety of topics) at some point, but I need to know some more specific vocabulary first.

Guanyin is a male. He transformed himself to female because female figure is more motherly, caring and beloved.

It is actually a "he". but he is one of most benevolent one among Chinese Buddist Gods. He often appears "woman like" because of the actions he does.