A TV Documentary
Crescent Spring by the Singing Sand Mountain
Dunhuang is a world-famous historical and cultural town located in
the middle of the Ancient Silk Road. Just 5 kilometers south of the city
lies a stretch of desert that makes extraordinary sounds. It is the scenic
area called the Crescent Spring by the Singing Sand Mountain. The
Singing Sand Mountain, pronounced as Ming Sha Mountain, was also
called “Magical Sand Mountain” in ancient times. The mountain is made
up of fine sands in five colors that built up over time into sharp peaks.
The mountain can make sounds by itself and echo sounds made by people.
When the sands at the ridge are knocked loose by climbers, they are soon
blown back to the top of the hill by wind, restoring the mountain’s
original shape. The Crescent Spring, which gets its name from its
crescent shape, lies silently by the Ming Sha Mountain. Despite being
surrounded by sandy dunes, the spring is crystal clean. Numerous tales
about the area’s boundless yellow sands and clean spring water make
them only more mysterious. These sites form a charming scene that
together with the Mogao Grottos and the Han Dynasty Great Wall attract
tourists from all over the world.
Director: Zhao Yisha
Photographer: Gao Fei
Produced by the Singing Sand Mountain & Crescent Spring
Management Office of Dunhuang City
Translated and subtitled by Centre of International Cultural
Exchange
Presented by the Bureau for External Cultural Relations,
Ministry of Culture, P.R. China
Duration: 20 minutes