Park of China
Overview
| Designation | National Park of China (third batch, 1994) AAAAA tourist attraction (2015) |
| Province | Gansu |
| Location | Southern outskirts of Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Gansu |
| Latitude, longitude | 40.09, 94.67 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Sand dunes, a spring in the desert |
| Top sights | Mingsha Dunes, Crescent Spring |
| Nearby cities | Dunhuang |
| Nearby sites | Mogao Caves 13km, Jiayuguan Pass 304km Search nearby |
| Themes | Desert, Sand Dune, Spring, Lake, Yardangs & earth forests, Night sky & aurora, Viewpoints & photography |
About
The Mingsha (“Singing Sand”) Dunes lie 5 km south of Dunhuang; the highest point is 1,715 m. They take their name from the sound the sand makes as it shifts. The dunes are built of drifting sand in five colours: red, yellow, green, white and black.
Crescent Spring (Yueyaquan) lies at the foot of the dunes and is named for its shape, like a new moon.
It is in the third batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1994.
Main sights
Mingsha Shan and Crescent Spring: the sand mountain lies south of Dunhuang town, with the spring at its northern foot; the spring has never been buried by the drifting sand. Most visitors look down on it from the ridge of the dunes.
History and culture
According to tradition, a monk named Lezun cut the first cave on the eastern face of Mount Mingsha in 366, the beginning of the Mogao Caves. Work continued through the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia and Yuan periods, a span of about a thousand years.
Travel tips
Mingsha Shan and Crescent Spring: climb the dunes on foot or by camel and look down on the spring. Go early in the morning or towards evening; at midday in summer the sand is very hot.
Photo credits: Mingsha Dunes and Crescent Spring: N509FZ (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Mogao Caves 13km, Xuanquanzhi 59km, Yumen Pass 74km, Suoyang City 131km |
| AAAA attractions | Yangguan Scenic Area 55km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Dunhuang UNESCO Global Geopark 6km |
| Historic cities | Dunhuang 6km |
| Historical sites | Mogao Caves (including the Western Thousand-Buddha Caves) 13km |
| National geoparks | Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark 130km |
| Nature reserves | Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve 83km, Dunhuang Yangguan National Nature Reserve 130km, Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve 147km |