Echoing-Sand Dune and Crescent Spring - A Thousand Years of Watching

Echoing-Sand Dune and Crescent Spring is ranked as one of the "China's Five Most Beautiful Deserts" by China National Geography Magazine.
The Echoing-Sand Dune and Crescent Spring, five kilometers southwest of Dunhuang, create an amazing desert view.
The dune's name (Mingshashan) comes from the booming noise made by the sands when people climb up. The spring's name (Yueyaquan) comes from its crescent from, cradled in the dunes. For a lake near a dune to survive for a thousand years is a unique desert phenomenon. As it is near Dunhuang, it has a temple on its bank, adding to its fame.
Echoing-Sand Dune is just like a golden dragon winding its way over the horizon when you see it afar. On days when a strong wind blows, the fast shifting sand roars; but when the wind is little more than a light breeze, the sand produces gentle, dulcet sounds akin to music. It is the same when you are sliding down the mountainside. At first, the sand under your feet just whispers; but the further you slide, the louder the sound until it reaches a crescendo like thunder or a drum beat. Some say that the sand is singing, while to others it is like an echo and this is how the mountain gets its name. Crescent (Moon) Lake is apparently an oasis surrounded by the highly sandy area composed of high dunes. The water in the lake is so pure and sweet that it looks like an emerald set in the sand.
There is also a story about the lake. In the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC- 24), a general called Li Guang, together with a group of soldiers, captured a powerful and swift horse from Dawan, a western state of China at that time. When passing the Echoing-Sand Mountain upon their return, the soldiers became too thirsty to continue their march. General Li drew his sword and thrust it into the side of the mountain causing water to spring forth and so formed the lake.
According to historical record, the lake has been in existence for a thousand of years without ever being buried by the sand. It is really a wonder for A Thousand Years of Watching.