From A.D.67 Buddhism started to arrive in China from India along the silk route, gaining a definite foothold in China by the 1st Century A.D. At first Chinese Buddhas were depicted as Indian Buddhas, but during the Sui dynasty (A.D. 589-618) and the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907) they began to take on Chinese characteristics.
Buddhism was actively imported into China because the Chinese rulers were interested in it. The Chinese interpretation of Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle") Buddhism was such that anyone could become a Buddha (Unheard of in India with its tight caste system) and thus allow the immortal soul to escape from the cycle of reincarnation by entering Nirvana.
To become a Buddha, people had to do good to others and love their neighbours and avoid sin. There were some who had to follow this path and earned their entry into Nirvana, yet who chose to hold back from entering Nirvana because they wanted to help others to reach this stage: these people were bodhisattvas, the most famous of which in China is probably Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.