{"id":14,"date":"2015-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/11\/the-crescent-lake-of-mingsha-shan\/"},"modified":"2023-01-03T16:22:54","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T16:22:54","slug":"the-crescent-lake-of-mingsha-shan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/11\/the-crescent-lake-of-mingsha-shan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Crescent Lake of Mingsha Shan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ming<\/p>\n

Ming Sha Shan (\u9cf4\u6c99\u5c71)<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

Also known as \u201cEchoing Sand Mountain\u201d, due to the whistling sounds produced by static and friction when the wind blows, or when one is sliding down the sand dunes. It is located in the far west of China in Dunhuang, which was an important oasis town along the Silk Route in the ancient days. Ablajan, our friendly Uygur guide, was incensed that we had to pay to gain access to a natural environment.<\/p>\n

\"Chinese<\/p>\n

Chinese Tourists and a Barren Desert Scape<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

Some of the many Chinese tourists in the distance, clad in bright orange sand boots and shaded with umbrellas, slowly making their way across the barren desert scape.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Little Boy with Giant Sand Dunes<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

A young Chinese boy gazes back at me, with giant sand dunes undulating behind him, all bright hot with no shade in sight.<\/p>\n

\"Some<\/p>\n

Some of the Many Chinese Tourists<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

Some of the many Chinese tourists, clad in bright orange sand boots, shaded with umbrellas and snapping photos every few steps into the soft sand.<\/p>\n

\"Camels<\/p>\n

Camels for Tourism<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

The camels were more for show and tourism purposes. Still it was nice to see them around.<\/p>\n

\"Tall<\/p>\n

Tall Sand Dunes with Ladder Access Up<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

The dunes can reach up to a height of 250 metres, and wooden ladder rungs have been embedded into the sand for an easier time hiking up.<\/p>\n

\"What's<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Left of the Crescent Lake<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

Named Yue Ya Quan (\u6708\u7259\u6cc9) during the Qing Dynasty, this lake was a miraculous green haven nestled amongst the towering sand dunes of the desert. It reached up to a maximum depth of 7.5 metres in the 1960s and even had fish in it, but has dramatically declined in both depth and area size over the years. By the 1990s, it had reduced to only 1.3 metres. Now, the central and local government are filling the lake up to restore it to its original depth.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cGreen\u201d\"<\/p>\n

\u201cGreen\u201d<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

Yes. The only natural green spot in a bland sandscape here indeed.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Dried Out Oasis<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

Hm.<\/p>\n

\"Traditional<\/p>\n

Traditional Han Architecture<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

A pagoda built in more recent times to complement the landscape.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

My Selfie Shot<\/h3>\n

Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, China | 10 May 2013<\/a><\/h5>\n

Love the open blue sky and giant sand dunes that remind me of how small I am in comparison, and how much there is left to explore.<\/p>\n

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An Observation on Chinese Culture: Part 2<\/p>\n

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The Crescent Lake of Mingsha Shan<\/p>\n

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Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n

An Observation on Chinese Culture: Part 1<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mingsha Shan (\u9cf4\u6c99\u5c71), also known as Echoing Sand Mountain, is located in western China in Dunhuang, an important Silk Road oasis town in Gansu province.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90,"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions\/90"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}