Hanjourney.com | Famous tourist attractions in China

1. Mingsha Mountain Crescent
Spring Scenic Area
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2. G eographic location:5 km south of Dunhuang
City, Gansu Province
Level:AAAAA
Famous scenery:Crescent Moon Spring, Mingsha
Mountain
Opening hours: 7:00-19:00
Mingsha Mountain Yueyaquan Scenic Spot is located 5 kilometers
south of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. It covers an area of 31,200
square kilometers, including Mingsha Mountain. Its mountains are 40
kilometers long from east to west, 20 kilometers wide from north to
south, and the main peak is 1715 meters above sea level. Crescent
Moon Spring is surrounded by Mingsha Mountain.
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area, the main attractions
are Crescent Moon Spring and Mingsha Mountain. The Crescent Moon
Spring is surrounded by the Mingsha Mountain, and its shape is
named after a crescent moon. Mingsha Mountain is 5 kilometers away
from the southern suburb of Dunhuang City. It is named after the
sound of sand. Mingsha Mountain is composed of quicksand, red,
yellow, green, white and black.
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area was designated as a
national key scenic spot in 1994 and won the honorary title of “one of
the five most beautiful deserts in China”. On July 20, 2015, it was
approved as a national AAAAA level tourist attraction.
In January 2016, the National Tourism Administration and the
Ministry of Environmental Protection proposed to identify the
Yueshashan Crescent River Scenic Spot in Jiuquan City, Gansu
Province as a national ecotourism demonstration zone. At the 2018
China Northwest Tourism Marketing Conference and Tourism

3. Equipment Exhibition, it was shortlisted for the “Magic Northwest
100 Scenes” list.
Historical evolution
In the limited historical records and poems and songs, Yueya Spring
has always been a blue wave, a shallow fish, a rich grass and water,
and it is a good match with Mingsha Mountain. Among the local
people, there are three kinds of ironback fish, seven-star grass and
five-color sand.
Until 1960, there was no major change in spring water, with a
maximum water depth of 9 meters and a lake area of 22.5 acres.
In the mid-1970s, local watershed irrigation and local vegetation
destruction in recent years, water and soil loss led to a sharp decline
in the groundwater level in Dunhuang, thus the water level of the
Crescent Moon dropped sharply.
The minimum time to store water in the Crescent Spring was in 1985,
when the average water depth of the Crescent Spring was only 0.7 to
0.8 meters. Because of the lack of water, at that time, the springs in
the springs could be seen at the bottom, and the Crescent Springs also
formed two small springs that no longer form crescents. This makes
the “Moon Springs will disappear tomorrow” has become the focus of
many people’s attention. Since then, Dunhuang City has taken various
ways to replenish the Crescent Moon Spring.
Mingshashan Crescent Lake Scenic Area, the master plan was
compiled from 1992 to 1994. However, the plan has not been
approved for many reasons, such as the scope and timing of the plan.
Beginning in 2000, Dunhuang City took emergency measures to
replenish the river water around the Crescent Moon Spring to
supplement the water level of the Crescent Moon Spring, so that the
Crescent Moon Spring was temporarily exempted from exhaustion. In
2004, the water level dropped to 1.3 meters, and the spring water
area decreased to 7.8 acres.
In August 2007, entrusted by the Management Office of Mingshashan
and Yueyaquan in Dunhuang City, the Landscape Architecture
Institute of China Urban Construction Research Institute re-designed
the scenic spot plan.

4. On May 12, 2010, the commercial street project address was selected
on the east side of Shanmen, the scenic area of Yueyashan Crescent
Mountain Scenic Area. The commercial building with the
architectural, space and environmental design as the carrier has one
main layer and two partial floors. After more than three months of
construction, on the basis of the original tourist service center, a
collection hall with tourism consultation, tour guide service, leisure
break, temporary reception, and tourist guide maps, tourist brochures
and postcards has been built. .
On August 21, 2014, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural
Development issued the Letter of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-
Rural Development on the Detailed Planning of the Mingsha
Mountain-Yueya Spring Scenic Area Key Area, officially approving the
key areas of the Mingshan Mountain Crescent Lake Scenic Area in
Dunhuang City. planning.
In late July 2015, Mingshashan Crescent Lake Scenic Area was
promoted to the national 5A level tourist attraction.
On April 13, 2018, he was shortlisted for “Magic Northwest 100
Scenes”.

5. Geographical environment
Geographic location
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake Scenic Area, located 5 kilometers
south of Dunhuang City (coordinate: 40°05 north latitude 94°40′ east
longitude). Mingsha Mountain, its mountains are 40 kilometers long
from east to west, 20 kilometers wide from north to south, and the
main peak is 1715 meters above sea level. Crescent Moon Spring is
surrounded by Mingsha Mountain. The Crescent Moon Spring is
nearly 100 meters long from north to south, and the width of the east
and west is about 25 meters. The spring is shallow in the east and
west, and the deepest is about 5 meters.
Climate characteristics
The Mingsha Mountain Crescent River Scenic Area is a temperate
continental climate. Winter is cold and hot in summer, the annual
temperature difference is large, the precipitation is concentrated, the
four seasons are distinct, the annual rainfall is small, and the
mainland is strong. The average temperature in Dunhuang in January
is -7.9 °C, the lowest temperature is -22.2 °C, the average

6. temperature in July is 25.7 °C, and the highest temperature is 38.9 °C.
The extreme maximum temperature is 60 °C, the lowest temperature
is 0.1 °C, and the annual average annual precipitation is about 39.9
mm. The annual precipitation is very different, and the distribution is
uneven during the year, mainly concentrated in summer.
Resource situation
Water resources conditions
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area, lack of water
resources. The average water level of Crescent Moon Spring is about
1.5 meters. Since July 2013, the water level of Crescent Moon Spring
has increased by nearly 10 cm compared with April 2013, and the
water area of Crescent Moon Spring has expanded significantly.

7. Natural resources
Mingsha Mountain Yueya Spring Scenic Area has precious plant
resources such as naked fruit trees, Populus euphratica forest, and
Haloxylon ammodendron; due to sufficient water, the vegetation
around Crescent Moon Spring is flourishing.
In 2013, the Dunhuang Municipal Government and the Mingshashan
Crescent River Management Office drove the northeast wind passage,
and established a northeast wind passage on the north side of the
scenic spot, and established a 500-meter wide buffer belt on the
north side of the scenic spot to control the buildings and trees in the
belt. Height, increase vegetation coverage. The urban green space
rate in Dunhuang reached 32.7%, the green coverage rate reached
36.8%, and the per capita park green area increased to 11.86 square
meters.

8. Main Attractions
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area includes two major
scenic spots, Crescent Moon Spring and Mingsha Mountain. The
scenic area covers an area of 31,200 square kilometers.
Crescent spring
It is surrounded by the Mingsha Mountain and is named after a
crescent moon. The ancient name is Shajing, also known as Yaoquan.
It was once known as Dianchi Lake, and the Qing Dynasty was
renamed Yueya Spring. For thousands of years, the sand mountain is
surrounded by springs, and the springs are reflected in the sand
mountains. In the deep valleys of the sand mountains, “the wind is
filled with sand and the air is blowing, and the springs are reflected
in the moon without dust.” There are four odds in the Crescent Moon
Spring: the shape of the crescent is as old as the old, the land of evil
is clear into the spring, the sand is not flooded in the sand, and the
old fish in the ancient pool is not old.

9. Mingsha Mountain
Mingsha Mountain is named after the sound of sand. It was called
“Shajiao Mountain” and “Shensha Mountain” in ancient times. There
are accumulated sands in the mountains, about 40 kilometers from
east to west, 20 kilometers from north to south, and the highest
elevation is 1715 meters. Its mountain sand ridges are the same, and
the peaks are like a blade. It is very spectacular. Sand pink, yellow,
green, white, black five colors, crystal flashing does not touch a dust.
In the case of friction and vibration, it will sound sorrowful, with the
sound of drums, light and silky, and heavy thunder. Therefore,
“Shaling Qingming” is one of the “eight scenic spots” in Dunhuang.
Thousands of birds chasing
“Thousands of birds chasing” became a beautiful scene in the winter
of the scenic spot. On December 11, 2014, thousands of sparrows flew,

10. hunted and rested in the Mingshan Mountain Crescent Mountain
Scenic Spot in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, presenting a scene of
“Thousand Birds Chase”.
Receive honor
In 1994, it was designated as a national key scenic spot and won the
honorary title of “one of the five most beautiful deserts in China”.
In 2001, it was named as a 4A tourist area by the National Tourism
Administration.
In 2015, it was rated as the provincial civilized unit of Gansu Province
in 2014 by the Provincial Civilization Committee.
July 20, 2015 Approved as a national 5A-level tourist scenic spot,
becoming the fourth 5A-level tourist scenic spot in Gansu Province

11. Travel guide
Traffic
Dunhuang Airport has opened 12 round-trip flights from Beijing,
Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Lanzhou,
Urumqi, Jiayuguan, Dalian and Turpan.
Inbound flights: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing, Xi’an, Lanzhou,
Chengdu, Hangzhou, Urumqi, Jiayuguan, Dalian, Turpan to Dunhuang;
Outbound flights: Dunhuang to Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing,
Xi’an, Lanzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Urumqi, Jiayuguan, Dalian,
Turpan.
Dunhuang Railway Station has opened eight train lines in Lanzhou
(k9667), Dunhuang (k9668), Xi’an (k591), Dunhuang (k592), Jiuquan
(7527), Dunhuang (7528), Lanzhou (y667) and Dunhuang (y668).
Bus: The one-way bus price from Dunhuang Railway Station and
Airport to Dunhuang City is 3 yuan/person. From downtown to
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Mountain Scenic Area, you can take Bus
No. 3 from Circle Road to the terminal station Mingshashan Crescent
Lake Scenic Area. The fare is 1 yuan / person. (about ten minutes
from Dunhuang City)
Taxi: The taxi fare from Dunhuang City to the scenic spot is 10-15
yuan/person.
Chartered: Mingsha Mountain Scenic Area belongs to the east line,
and the cost of the 4-seat east line Mogao Grottoes + Mingsha
Mountain is about 150-200 yuan.
Tourist route
There are two tourist routes in the Mingshan Mountain Crescent
Spring Scenic Area: one for scenic tour routes and one for leisure and
entertainment routes.

12. Scenic tour route: Mingyue Square Archway – Tiebei Fish Park –
Mingsha Mountain – Mingyue Pavilion – Crescent Moon Spring, to
watch the natural scenery of the desert, climb the magical Mingsha
Mountain.
Recreational Line: Mingyue Square Archway – riding a camel –
Mingsha Shandong Peak – Ironback Fish Park – Crescent Moon
Spring.
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