Crescent Spring, nestled in the embrace of Mingsha Mountain, is named for its crescent moon-like shape. Historically known as Sha Jing, also called Yao Quan, it was once mistakenly referred to as Wo Wa Chi, and was officially named Crescent Spring during the Qing Dynasty. Covering an area of 13.2 acres with an average water depth of 4.2 meters, the spring boasts sweet and clear waters, mirror-like in their clarity. Despite being just tens of meters away from the flowing sands, the spring remains untouched by them even in fierce winds, and remains clear and full even in the midst of the Gobi Desert. This unique coexistence of sand and spring is indeed a ‘wonder of the world’.
Located 5 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang City, Crescent Spring is a magical lake phenomenon in the vast desert. Under Mingsha Mountain, the spring forms a lake, surrounded by sand dunes, resembling a crescent moon, hence its name. Crescent Spring, anciently called Sha Jing, commonly known as Yao Quan, is surrounded by reeds, with fish swimming freely in the water, and shaded by the greenery of Populus euphratica and jujube trees. Medicinal plants such as Apocynum venetum and goji berries thrive here, with pavilions and towers exuding an antique charm. In spring and summer, flowers bloom, and in summer and autumn, the fragrance of pears and fruits fills the air. Since the Han Dynasty, it has been one of the ‘Eight Sights of Dunhuang’, named ‘Moon Spring Dawn’.
Crescent Spring is nearly 100 meters long from north to south and about 25 meters wide from east to west. The water is deeper in the east and shallower in the west, with the deepest part reaching about 5 meters, curved like a crescent moon, thus its name. A bay of clear spring water, with ripples lingering, is as green as jade. The spring, in the midst of flowing sands, does not dry up in drought, and the wind does not bring down the sand, making it a spectacle. Scholars and literati throughout the ages have praised this unique mountain-spring landscape and desert wonder.
Crescent Spring is known for ‘spring reflecting the moon without dust’ and ‘ancient sands never filling the spring, and the spring never drying up’. ‘Under the clear blue sky for thousands of miles, the peerless beauty of Crescent Spring, surrounded by silver mountains on all sides, a pool of clear water with green ripples’. Crescent Spring has four wonders: the shape of the crescent remains unchanged through the ages, clear springs form in harsh environments, it is in the sand mountain but not buried by sand, and the ancient pool’s old fish do not age when eaten. The best time to visit Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring is in the evening and at dusk.
Crescent Spring has three treasures: ironback fish, five-colored sand, and seven-star grass. It is said that eating ironback fish and seven-star grass together can grant immortality! The small flower of Apocynum venetum on the south bank of Crescent Spring is a unique and exclusive health-preserving traditional Chinese medicine by the spring, also with the effect of delaying aging. Every year from June to August, the small flowers bloom, resembling stars in the night sky. According to the old sayings: the dogfish unique to Dunhuang might be the ironback fish, and the Apocynum venetum on the south bank of Crescent Spring might be the legendary seven-star grass!
Crescent Spring, surrounded by Mingsha Mountain, covers an area of 0.88 hectares with an average water depth of about 3 meters. The water is sweet and clear, as clear as a mirror. For thousands of years, the sand mountain has encircled the spring without burying it, and the spring remains clear and full in the dry desert, which is indeed rare. Inside the spring, star grass with awn and iron fish drum waves, the mountain scenery and water light complement each other, making the scenery very beautiful.
