Dunhuang manuscripts and frescos relating to the Buddhist monk Baozhi寶誌 can be divided into two types: those in the first category relate to the story of Baozhi tearing open his face to reveal the divine face of Guanyin, as described in S.1624, P.3727, S.5600; the other category contains depictions of Baozhi in S.3177, P.3641 and on the south wall of the corridor of Mogao cave 莫高窟 no. 395. All these depictions feature the description"梁武帝問志公和常如何修道" (Emperor Wu of Liang asks the monk Zhigong [Baozhi] how to practice the Dharma), and likely reflect the culture of religious belief in tenth-century Dunhuang This article also comprehensively surveys ancient Chinese and Japanese books and documents relating to the legend of Baozhi ripping open his face. It identifies a phenomenon in these texts described by Gu Jiegang as "cumulative creation"層累地造成. Twelve-headed Guanyin was probably related to Eleven-headed Guanyin originally, but by the tenth century had already developed its own independent belief system, and had been purposely integrated with the story of Baozhi tearing open his face to reveal Guanyin beneath.