Ci Hang Zhen Ren is the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Avalokitesvara. Taoism and Buddhism have been mutually permeating and absorbing for a long time, and they are commonly worshipped together. There are two theories about the origin of Taoism. One is recorded in the book “A General History of Immortals of Past Dynasties”: There was a woman from the Jurchen tribe in the Chaoyin Cave of the Luojia Cliff of Mount Putuo. It is said that she cultivated the Way here during the reign of the Shang king and attained the state of samadhi. She vowed to liberate all men and women in the world.
She used elixirs and nectar to help people, and the people of the South China Sea called her the Bodhisattva of Mercy. The second story is from the “Lingshu Jing” (Spiritual Treasure Scripture), as quoted in Li Shan's commentary: In the world of Zen, there was a woman born to the king, whose name was Yin. When she was four years old, the king was surprised by this and abandoned her in the middle of the A Kong Mountain in Nanfu Sang. The girl had no food, and often gulped air, drawing in the essence of the moon to naturally fill her stomach. Suddenly, she met a divine being in the house in Danling, under the Berlin. The surname Yin was inscribed on the top of the red stone on the right hand side. Yin said to her: “Although you cannot speak, you can remember this 
text. I will send the Zhu Gong Ling Tong to teach you the technique of healing your younger brother and teach you the sounds of the characters. Yin was then able to speak. She came out of the mountain and returned to the country. There was a severe drought in the country, fires broke out underground, the people were scorched, and more than half of them died. They dug through the ground to get water, but there was no spring for hundreds of zhang. The king was afraid. The woman revealed her true form, and when the king looked up, the sky rained down floodwaters, reaching ten zhang high. So she changed her form and disappeared into the distance.
Buddhism believes that she was the third daughter of King Miaozhuang, named Miaozhen. When it was time for her to marry, she refused to marry and became a nun. King Miaozhuang therefore expelled her from the palace. Later, King Miaozhuang fell seriously ill and was in imminent danger. He sought help from an old monk, who diagnosed that only the medicine mixed with the hands and eyes of his biological daughter could cure him. The king had no choice but to ask his eldest and second daughters for help, but they refused. The old monk could only tell the king that there was a sage in Xiangshan with profound Taoist knowledge who might be able to help. The king went to Xiangshan and found the sage, but was shocked to learn that she was his third daughter, who had already attained the Tao. After learning of her father's intentions, she said nothing and immediately cut off her arms and gouged out her eyes to offer them to the king. The king was very sad and prayed to the gods to give his daughter back her hands and eyes. The gods were moved and granted the king's wish, and his daughter grew a thousand eyes and a thousand hands. The king was very moved and had a temple built on Fragrant Mountain to worship Miaoshan, calling her “Guanyin”.
Because Miao Shan could appear at the right time to save the suffering and rescue people, Taoism calls her the “Cihang Zhenren”. Because she is also good at helping women and children and helping people with pregnancy and childbirth, Taoism sometimes also worships her as the Goddess of Fertility. In short, her worship is very strong in Taoism and Buddhism.

   慈航真人即佛教中所供奉的观音，道、佛二教互相渗透、互相吸收，共同信仰。就其来源道教有二种说法。其一据《历代神仙通鉴》卷记载：普陀落伽岩潮音洞中有一女真，相传商王时修道于此，已得神通三昧，发愿欲昔度世间男女。
尝以丹药及甘露水济人，南海人称之曰慈航大士。其二据李善注引《灵宝经》曰：禅黎世界坠王有女，字姓音，生仍不言。年至四岁，王怪之，乃弃于南浮桑之阿空山之中。女无粮，常日咽气，引月服精，自然充饱。忽与神人会于丹陵之舍，柏林之下。姓音右手题赤石之上。语姓音：汝虽不能言，可忆此 
文也。遣朱宫灵童，下教姓音治弟之术，授其采书入字之音。于是能言。于山出，还在国中。国中大枯旱，地下生火，人民焦燎，死者过半。穿地取水，百丈无泉。王郄惧。女显其真，为王仰啸，天降洪水，至十丈。于是化形隐景而去。
佛教则认为她是妙庄王的三女儿，名妙善。至出嫁年龄，死括不嫁，出家为尼。妙庄王因此将其赶出王宫。后来妙庄王身患顽疾，危在旦夕，求救于一老僧，老僧诊断后认为只有以亲生女儿的手眼配药才能医治。妙庄王只得求救于自己的大女儿和二女儿，然二女坚决不允。无耐老僧只得告知香山有位仙长，道法高深，兴许能够救愈。妙庄王来到香山，找到香山仙长，却大吃一惊，原来仙长为自己三女儿，但此时已修成至道。女儿知道父亲来意后，二话投说，当即割断手臂挖掉双眼奉给妙庄王。妙庄王心里十分难过，遂祈求于神明，使女儿再生手眼，结果神灵有眼，女儿果然长出了一千只眼和一千双手。妙庄王十分感动，令人在香山修建寺庙，专门祀奉妙善，并称之为“观音”。
因妙善能够应时现身，救苦救难，普渡慈航，所以道教将其称为“慈航真人”，又因为她善于救助妇女儿童，助人孕产，所以道教有时还将其奉为进子娘娘。总之其在道教和佛教中的香火都十分旺盛。