{"id":21,"date":"2015-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/11\/the-miraculous-crescent-lake-of-mingsha-shan\/"},"modified":"2023-01-03T16:22:54","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T16:22:54","slug":"the-miraculous-crescent-lake-of-mingsha-shan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journeyjot.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/11\/the-miraculous-crescent-lake-of-mingsha-shan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Miraculous Crescent Lake of Mingsha Shan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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
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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
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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
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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
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The camels were more for show and tourism purposes. Still it was nice to see them around.<\/p>\n
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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
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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
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Yes. The only natural green spot in a bland sandscape here indeed.<\/p>\n
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Hm.<\/p>\n
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A pagoda built in more recent times to complement the landscape.<\/p>\n
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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
More from china<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n A Thousand Years in the Mogao Grottoes: #1<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Photography<\/strong><\/p>\n The Miraculous Crescent Lake of Mingsha Shan<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Photography<\/strong><\/p>\n A Snowy Surprise at the Southern Pastures<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n An Observation on Chinese Culture: Part 2<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n The Passage to Lanzhou: #2<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Photography<\/strong><\/p>\n The Rich Silk Route History of Turpan: Part 2<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Photography<\/strong><\/p>\n The Rich Silk Route History of Turpan: Part 1<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n