Desert · Gansu
Mingsha Shan and Crescent Spring
鸣沙山月牙泉
Singing dunes and a crescent-shaped pool on the edge of Dunhuang
Mingsha Shan, the “Singing Sand Mountains”, is a field of large dunes directly south of the oasis city of Dunhuang in western Gansu. In a hollow between the dunes lies the Crescent Spring, a small spring-fed pool that has survived for at least two thousand years; both are described in Han- and Tang-period writings and were counted among the classic sights of Dunhuang on the Silk Road.
- National scenic area
Key facts
Overview
The dunes of Mingsha Shan stretch for about 40 km east to west along the southern edge of the Dunhuang oasis, rising well over 100 metres above the surrounding plain in places. When sand slides down their steep faces it produces a low humming or booming sound, the “singing sand” that gives them their name and that ancient writers recorded as sounding like drums or thunder.
The Crescent Spring, a curved pool about 200 metres long in a basin between the dunes, has long been treated as a small wonder: prevailing winds sweep sand up and over the dunes around it rather than into it. Mogao, with its Buddhist caves, is cut into the eastern end of the same dune belt, where it meets the Daquan River.
How the landscape formed
Mingsha Shan belongs to the dune fields on the margin of the Kumtag Desert, where sand blown from the dry lake beds and river plains of the Dunhuang basin piles up against the foothills of the Altun and Qilian mountains. Winds from several directions shape the dunes into tall star and pyramid forms that change shape but move relatively little. Booming sand needs dry, well-sorted, rounded grains; avalanches of such sand set up vibrations in the dune surface that are heard as a hum. The Crescent Spring is fed by groundwater from the oasis aquifer and the Dang River; its level fell sharply in the late twentieth century as groundwater was drawn down, and water has since been replenished to stabilise it.
Highlights
Crescent Spring
月牙泉
Crescent-shaped spring pool in a hollow of the dunes, with a rebuilt pavilion complex on its southern bank.
Singing Sand Mountains
鸣沙山
The dune ridges above the spring, climbed on foot or on wooden-rung ladders for views over the oasis.
Sand Ridge Singing in Fair Weather
沙岭晴鸣
The traditional name of the dunes among the classic Eight Views of Dunhuang.
Plants and wildlife
Life around the dunes depends on the oasis edge and the spring. Desert shrubs grow in the hollows, and a few animals adapted to sand and heat live in the dune field.
Plants
Russian olive
沙枣
Elaeagnus angustifolia, a drought-tolerant tree planted along the oasis edge.
Camelthorn
骆驼刺
Alhagi, a deep-rooted desert shrub of the dune margins.
Wildlife
Toad-headed agamas
沙蜥
Small sand lizards of the genus Phrynocephalus.
Bactrian camel
双峰驼
Domestic camels carry visitors along the dunes, echoing the caravans of the Silk Road.
Culture and legend
Dunhuang was the gateway of the Silk Road to the Western Regions, and the dunes and spring appear in local gazetteers and in Dunhuang manuscripts found in the Mogao Library Cave. The pavilions by the spring have been rebuilt several times; the present halls are modern reconstructions of the older temple complex.
Mogao Caves
莫高窟
The UNESCO-listed Buddhist cave temples at the eastern end of the Mingsha dune belt.
Yuequan Pavilion
月泉阁
The pavilion complex beside the spring, rebuilt in traditional style.
History
Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
Dunhuang commandery founded
The oasis at the foot of the dunes becomes China's western outpost on the Silk Road.
Tang dynasty (618–907)
The singing sands described
Local geographies from Dunhuang describe the dunes' sound and the spring that the sand never buries.
Late 20th century
The spring shrinks
Falling groundwater in the oasis reduces the pool's depth and area, prompting measures to raise and maintain its level.
Through the seasons
Spring
Windy and dusty, with occasional sandstorms; mild temperatures.
Summer
Very hot sand at midday; early morning and evening are the times to climb, and the evenings are long and light.
Autumn
The best season: settled, clear weather and the poplars of the oasis turning gold.
Winter
Cold, dry and quiet; the sand is firm and the light clear.
Routes and ways in
Dune climb to the ridge
A steep climb in loose sand, eased by rope-and-plank ladders, to the ridge above the spring for sunset views over the oasis.
Spring and pavilions
A short walk around the pool and through the pavilion complex below the dunes.
Practical notes
- Sand is very hot in summer afternoons; shoe covers, sun protection and water are needed.
- Sliding down the dunes is part of the experience, but the dune field beyond the managed area is easy to get lost in.
- The site lies on the southern edge of Dunhuang city; the Mogao Caves are a separate visit to the south-east.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Dunhuang — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Mogao Caves — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Crescent Lake — Wikipedia (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Dunhuang Municipal People's Government — Dunhuang Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Gansu
- Mountain rangeQilian Mountains祁连山The glaciated wall whose meltwater feeds the Hexi Corridor
- MountainZhangye Danxia张掖七彩丹霞Striped red, ochre and white hills at the foot of the Qilian
- National parkGiant Panda National Park大熊猫国家公园One park for the panda's mountains across three provinces
- Mountain range · 3,771 mQinling Mountains秦岭The range that divides northern and southern China
Related
Philosophy
Chinese Buddhism →
Dynasty
Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) →
The Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) was the second imperial dynasty of China, founded by the commoner Liu Bang after the collapse of the Qin. Divided…
Dynasty
Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) →
The Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) was the imperial dynasty founded by Li Yuan that ruled China for nearly three centuries from Chang'an, then the largest…
Province
Gansu →
Gansu is a long, narrow province in north-west China that stretches some 1,600 km from the Loess Plateau to the edge of the Gobi. Its Hexi Corridor,…
City · Gansu
Dunhuang →
Dunhuang is a county-level city under Jiuquan at the far western end of Gansu, an oasis where the northern and southern Silk Roads divided before…