Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

The spring lies at the foot of the Mingsha Sand Dune and is named for its shape, and has fish and water weeds that are said to be good for the health. The area is often hit by windstorm, which drives up sand to shut out sun-light. For hundreds of years people have never seen the spring filled up with or covered by sand.

The Mingsha Mountain and the Crescent Moon Spring is locates 6km south of Dunhuang City in Gansu. Since time immemorial, this scenic spot is famous world wide for its 'Coexistence of mountain and spring, sand and water'. It is appraised as 'Unique Scenery in the north of Great Wall' and the Crescent Moon Spring is quite literally an oasis in the desert. The Spring's name derives from the crescent moon shape the small pool of spring water has taken between two large sand dunes. Although the area is very dry, the pool doesn't dry up as one might expect.

The Mingsha Mountain is so named due to the sounds the wind makes when blowing over the dunes. It used to be called as 'Shajiao Mountain' or 'Shensha Mountain'. The Crescent Moon Spring is embraced in the bosom of the Mingsha Mountain, formerly called 'Sand Well' or 'Medicine Spring' with the floor area of 0.88hectares and average depth of water as about 3meters, it boasts sweet and cool water, clear as the mirror. After more than several thousand years, the spring survived even in the dry desert. Inside the spring are various grass and fishes contrasting nicely with the mountain around.

The sand is said to be rather noisy when one treads upon it. The dunes are also famous for their size, some reaching 100m or more, relatively stable despite the fact that the dunes beyond the mountains shift frequently. Also, the sands are said to regain form overnight if trod upon the day before.

Activities in the dunes include camel riding, dune paragliding, sand sledding. Climbing the dunes is tiring and especially sweaty in the summer. There are wooden stairs to the top of the dunes for a small fee. Most people visit the dunes in the evening so as to avoid the hot sun!

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