Crescent Lake
Among the dunes.
Hiroki Ogawa — CC BY 3.0 · guan — CC BY 3.0 · N509FZ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · w0zny — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zossolino — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sigismund von Dobschütz — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hiroki Ogawa — CC BY 3.0
Towering sand dunes cradling a small crescent-shaped lake, Dunhuang's most famous sight; Mingsha Shan, «the Mountain of Singing Sands», is a range of dunes stretching about 40 kilometres from east to west and 20 kilometres from north to south, its highest crest 1,715 metres above sea level, and it has carried this name since the Jin dynasty, some seventeen centuries ago. It is named for the sound like strings and pipes that the sand makes on clear days as it slides down the slopes, and in the arms of the dunes lies Crescent Lake, a spring-fed lake that has survived among the sands for centuries without being buried, shaped exactly like a crescent moon and overlooked by a traditional tiered pavilion among the trees. The lake was four to five metres deep in 1960, then fell until it was only about a metre deep by the 1990s, and work to raise its level began in the mid-2000s. Visitors ride camels in caravans over the dunes, slide down the sand on sleds and climb wooden stairways to watch the sunset. The ticket costs CNY 110 and allows several entries over three days, per visitor guides, so you can come back for sunrise and sunset, while camel rides and other activities are paid separately. Bring water and a hat, and hire the orange shoe covers to keep the sand out.
Among the dunes.
Over the sand.
The dunes' voice.
Yueyaquan Town, about 6 km south of central Dunhuang
Yes, the CNY 110 ticket allows several entries over three days, so you can return for sunrise and sunset, per visitor guides.
Dunhuang has a mosque in town, and restaurants run by Hui Muslims serving beef noodles and lamb dishes under the halal sign are common; still, always check for the sign.