Four Mingsha Mountains in Mingsha Mountain

Mulei, Changji, Xinjiang

Balikun, Xinjiang

Dalate Banner, Inner Mongolia

Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang, Ningxia Zhongwei is a national key tourist scenic spot, located in the northwest of the motherland, which is a magical and magnificent tourist attraction in Gansu on the Silk Road. Located in the southern suburbs of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, seven kilometers, in the transition zone between Badain Jaran Desert and Taklimakan Desert, covering an area of about 2 square kilometers. There are two strange things about Mingsha Mountain: if people fall from the top of the mountain, the sand under their feet will whine; The footprints left by people climbing the sand mountain during the day will have no trace the next day. Mingsha Mountain and Sha Feng rise and fall, and the mountain is "like a dragon winding", glittering like a golden mountain. Mingsha Mountain was once called "Shajiao Mountain".

"Preaching the gods is different from the sand, and the cold is self-sounding, and the potential is suspicious of the sky, and the yin is like a mine, and the wind is still sharp, and the human umbilical blade is uneven." This vivid poem is a description of the wonders of Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang by poets in the Tang Dynasty. Mingsha Mountain has attracted people with its bright and vivid natural wonders since ancient times. In the Western Han Dynasty, there was a record that Mingsha Mountain seemed to play the music of bells, drums and orchestras. The Records of the County and the Country in the Later Han Dynasty quoted the southern Dynasty's "Ji Jiu Ji" as saying: "There is a difference between singing sand in the mountains and the god of hanging springs in the water" in Dunhuang. Geographical Records of the Old Tang Dynasty recorded that Mingsha Mountain "When the weather is fine, Shaming hears about Gancheng". Dunhuang suicide note contains Mingsha Mountain: "In midsummer, the horses practice it, the sound vibrates for dozens of miles, and the children in the city are all at the peak of the Dragon Boat Festival, frowning together, and the sand roars like thunder." In the Qing Dynasty, Dunhuang County Records listed "Sunny Shaling" as one of the eight scenic spots in Dunhuang.

When you leave Dunhuang City to the south, you can see the rolling Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang at a glance, with the Mogao Grottoes, a famous tourist attraction in Gansu in the east and the Danghekou in the west, stretching for 4 kilometers, with a width of 2 kilometers from north to south, a height of about 1 meters and a peak of more than 17 meters. At an altitude of 165 meters, it is like two sand arms stretching to enclose the crescent spring. Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring in Dunhuang are twin sisters in the desert Gobi. "The mountain is famous for its spirit, and the water is beautiful for its spirit". No matter how many tourists who travel in Gansu have a bird's eye view from the top of the mountain or swim by the spring, they will yearn for it, and they do have the feeling of "singing sand and mountains, washing their hearts with crescent springs".

climatic characteristics: first, abundant sunshine. The annual sunshine hours reach 3,2 hours, the frost-free period is 15 days, and the average annual temperature is 9.3℃, the average temperature in July is 24.7℃, and the average temperature in January is-9.3℃. The second is dry and little rain. A northerly downward flow is often maintained over Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang, which belongs to an arid and rainless zone, with an average annual rainfall of only 39.9 mm, 63.9% in summer and 7.5% in winter, and an annual evaporation of 2,4 mm.. Third, the four seasons are distinct, and the winter is longer than the summer, and the temperature difference between day and night is large. There is a saying that "wearing a fur coat at noon and eating watermelon with a stove". The temperature in annual range reaches 34℃, and there are mostly easterly winds and northwest winds in Dunhuang all the year round. The average wind speed near the ground is 3m/s, and dry-hot winds and sandstorms are the main natural disasters.

Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang is all made up of fine sand, which has five colors: red, yellow, blue, white and black. It is crystal clear and spotless. There are different shapes of sand mountains: some are like moon buds, which are curved and connected to form a sand chain; Some are like pyramids, towering high and angular; Some are like pythons, long and lying, extending to the horizon; Some are like fish scales, and the hills are connected and arranged neatly.

Since ancient times, there have been many touching legends because of the unknown reason for the ringing of Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang. According to legend, it used to be an oasis with abundant aquatic plants. In the Han Dynasty, a general led a great army to the west and was attacked by the enemy at night. Just as the two armies were fighting, the strong wind rose, and the yellow sand all over the sky buried all the soldiers and horses in the sand, so there was Mingsha Mountain. It is said that the shaming of Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang now comes from the sound of their fighting.

The Sha Feng of Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang is undulating and glittering, just like a golden mountain, as soft as satin and as demure as a girl. In the sun, the sand ridges are corrugated, and the Tao Huang is rolling, alternating with light and shade, with distinct layers. When the wind blows, the sand mountain will make a huge noise, and when the breeze blows, it looks like orchestral bamboo, hence the name Mingsha Mountain. Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang was called Shajiao Mountain in Han Dynasty, also known as Shensha Mountain, and it was called Mingsha Mountain in Jin Dynasty. No wonder Su Luji, a poet in the Qing Dynasty, said, "Thunder sends a lingering sound, and the wind makes a whisper." According to historical records, Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang, in sunny weather, even if the wind stops and the sand is quiet, it will emit the sound of the stringed instrument, becoming one of the eight famous scenic spots in Dunhuang in Gansu Province: "the clear sound of the sand ridge".

According to the "Shazhou Tujing", Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang "has no definite flow, but the deep valley is the mausoleum, the high rock is the valley, the peak is like a cliff, the smoke is picturesque, and there is no land in the evening." This passage describes the changeable shape of Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang, which is caused by quicksand. Although Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang is not high, the mountain is steep, so it is not easy for those tourists who travel in Gansu to climb the top of Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang. Continuous fine sand, further, half a step back, so we have to use our hands and feet to climb up. When going down the mountain, the sand will flow with people, making a rumbling sound like orchestral drum music, which can be heard as the roar and thunder of animals in the near future and as the sound of Yue Xian in the far distance. Since ancient times, people have passed this landscape as a wonder. Many tourists who come to Gansu from all over the world find that there are two strange things about Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang: if people fall from the top of the mountain, the sand under their feet will whine; The footprints left by people climbing the sand mountain during the day will have no trace the next day.

The strange sound of heaven and earth is a natural melody. The so-called sand singing is not self-singing, but it is a spectacle in natural phenomena because people slide along the sand surface. Some people call it "the strange sound between heaven and earth, a wonderful movement in nature". From afar, the Sha Feng on Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang is like a golden wave in the sea, magnificent and surging. Looking closely at the sand waves on the hillside, such as the ripples of light waves, sometimes rushing, sometimes slow, and sometimes entangled in the vortex, it is really interesting and interesting. Standing in the sea of sand, the world suddenly opens up, the mind suddenly opens up, and the childlike innocence can't help but sprout! The sound of the ear rises, like a string of silk and bamboo at first, and then the bell chimes with the sound, and then the golden drums are in harmony, and the roar is endless. It is this wonderful vocal music that has attracted countless tourists to Gansu and made Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang famous all over the world.

Crescent Spring

Surrounded by Mingsha Mountain, Crescent Spring is about 15 meters long and 5 meters wide, so it is named because the water surface resembles a crescent moon. The source of Crescent Moon Spring is Danghe River. With the continuous filling of the river, surrounded by yellow sand on all sides, the spring water is clear and beautiful, and it is amazing that it will not dry up for thousands of years. Unfortunately, since the 199s, the Danghe River and Crescent Spring have been cut off, so we can only use artificial methods to maintain the current situation of the spring. Because pavilions and pavilions have been built by the crescent spring, plus undulating sand mountains, clear spring water and brilliant sunset, the scenery is not bad.

There is a local story about the formation of Crescent Moon Spring and Mingsha Mountain:

Once upon a time, there was neither Mingsha Mountain nor Crescent Moon Spring here, but there was a screamo temple. One year, on the first day of April, the annual Buddha Bathing Festival was held in the Eighth Temple, where all good men and women burned incense and worshipped the Buddha. When the Buddhist activities were "sprinkling holy water", the abbot brought out a bowl of ancestral holy water from Leiyin Temple and placed it in front of the temple. Suddenly I heard a heretic warlock loudly challenge me to compete with the abbot. I saw the warlock wielding his sword and mumbling something. In an instant, it was dark and windy, and yellow sand came all over the place, burying the Leiyin Temple in the sand. Strangely, the bowl of holy water in front of the temple was safe and sound, and it was still in its original place. The sorcerer tried his best to fill the bowl with sand, but no matter how big the sorcery was, there was never a grain of sand in the bowl. Until a sand mountain is formed around the bowl, the holy water bowl is still safe. The warlock had no choice but to leave angrily. Just a few steps later, I heard a bang, and the half of the bowl of holy water tilted into a clear spring, and the warlock turned into a pool of black rocks. It turns out that this bowl of holy water was originally given to the abbot of Leiyin Temple by Buddha Sakyamuni. It has been passed down from generation to generation and is specially designed for people to eliminate diseases and disasters, so it is called "holy water". Because the heretics did evil and harmed the living beings, the Buddha appeared to punish them, making the bowl pour into the spring and forming a crescent spring.

transportation: there is a direct bus service from Dunhuang city, or you can take a taxi to Mingsha Mountain (about 15 yuan). Those who are willing to challenge can rent their own bicycles to go there.

Tickets: 12 yuan

Shopping: On the way from Dunhuang downtown to Mingsha Mountain, there is a street with many stalls called "Camel Street", which mainly sells some tourist souvenirs. Among them, the handicraft camels made of velvet are different in shape, lovely and realistic, full of childlike interest, and the price is quite cheap, which is a local characteristic product.

Note: The sunset scenery of Mingsha Mountain is very beautiful, so it is best to choose the summer dusk as the tour time; When riding a camel in a scenic spot, you should first talk about the price to avoid trouble; There is a lot of wind and sand on the sand mountain, so we should take some preventive measures.

the formation of crescent spring mainly depends on three factors: the geological structure of crescent spring itself, the topographic conditions of low-lying land and the high-positioned regional groundwater level. In the late 194s, the groundwater level in Dunhuang City and its southern area was about 1 meters higher than that in 2. Under this high water level condition, the groundwater in the northwest plain area overflowed in the low-lying depression after entering the spring area through underground runoff, forming a crescent spring. The high regional groundwater level is an important condition for the formation of the crescent spring and the basic guarantee for the crescent spring to remain dry for thousands of years.

The crescent spring in history is not only "never dried up", but also has a huge water surface and depth. According to the literature, during the Qing Dynasty, big ships could still run here. At the beginning of the 2th century, some people came here to fish, and their travel notes said: "The water in the pool is extremely deep, and the bottom is sand, which is unfathomable." In the limited historical records and poems and songs, Crescent Spring has always been said to be blue waves, shallow fish and lush aquatic plants, which are in harmony with Mingsha Mountain. Among the local people, there are three treasures: iron-backed fish, seven-star grass and five-color sand. Until 196, there was no big change in spring water, the maximum water depth was 9 meters, and the lake area was 22.5 mu.

In the mid-197s, the local reclamation and pumping irrigation, the destruction of surrounding vegetation and soil erosion caused the groundwater level in Dunhuang to drop sharply. Thus, the water level of crescent spring drops sharply. The minimum storage time of crescent spring was in 1985, when the average depth of crescent spring was only .7 to .8 meters. Because of the lack of water, at that time, the spring dried up and bottomed out, but people could leave, and the crescent spring also formed two Koizumi no longer in a crescent shape. This makes the topic "whether the crescent moon spring will disappear tomorrow" become the focus of many people's attention. In order to remedy this scenic spot, Dunhuang city has taken various ways to replenish water to Crescent Spring.

since 2, Dunhuang city has taken emergency measures to recharge the river around the crescent spring to replenish the water level of the crescent spring, so that the crescent spring will not be dried up temporarily.

In p>24, the water level dropped to 1.3 meters, and the area of spring water decreased to 7.8 mu, which caused the water level of Crescent Spring to swing around 1 meter. Without fundamental treatment, Crescent Spring, a world-class heritage, will be in danger of drying up.

For this reason, researchers from the Institute of Environment and Engineering in Cold and Arid Regions of Chinese Academy of Sciences have carried out research on the dynamic changes and circulation characteristics of Shashan Mountain in Mingsha Mountain Yueyaquan Scenic Area. This study will provide theoretical and technical support for the protection of the national key scenic spot-Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Spot.

According to media reports, this study will be carried out in two stages: the first stage is a large-scale field investigation, selecting monitoring sites, establishing a control network, monitoring sand hills at different development stages in the area, assisting the observation of micro-meteorological characteristics of sand dunes, and conducting indoor wind tunnel simulation experiments; The second stage is to supplement the monitoring of weak links and submit the final research results. According to Qu Jianjun, a researcher at the Institute of Cold and Drought, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who is in charge of the project, they will apply advanced technical means of remote sensing and non-topographic photogrammetry to monitor the dynamic process of the formation and development of Shashan in Mingsha Mountain and Yueyaquan Scenic Area. Through computer digital analytical processing, the dynamic database and digital terrain model of sand mountain formation and evolution in the area are established; Based on the dynamic digital space analysis of trend surface in different periods, the dynamic change and circulation characteristics of sand mountain in Yueyaquan Scenic Area of Mingsha Mountain are studied from the physical process of sand mountain formation and development in the dynamic mechanism research area. Barkol Mingsha Mountain is located in Barkol Kazak Autonomous County, Xinjiang, 6 kilometers west of the county seat, surrounded by lush green grass fields, just like a golden island in the blue sea. Mingsha Mountain is shaped like a mushroom, about 1 meters high, with steep sand dunes, water springs under it and rivers on the left and right sides. There is a vast grassland around the sand mountain, and a barren sand mountain stands abruptly in the endless wet and green. Its charm lies in the fact that the sand that has been accumulated here for hundreds of years has experienced countless storms, neither spreading around nor being swallowed up by green vegetation, and the sand will slowly climb up automatically after being stepped down by people climbing the sand mountain from the top of the mountain. There are many theories about the formation of Mingsha Mountain, among which there is a beautiful legend telling the formation of Mingsha Mountain.

According to legend, Fan Lihua, a famous female coach in the Tang Dynasty, was in command of the Western Expedition many times. On one occasion, a battalion of female soldiers chose to camp here because of the abundant water and grass here. As a result, the wind suddenly blew hard at night, and the yellow dust filled the eyes. It blew for seven days and seven nights. After the wind stopped, there was an extra sand mountain here, and the female soldier stationed here was also buried in the sand. From then on, whenever the dead of night, there will be a thunderous sound coming from the sand mountain. When people climb the sand mountain and step on the quicksand, they will make a similar sound. People say that it is the female soldiers who have failed to go home and miss their hometown and look at the sky and weep.

there is another version of the legend, which is a little similar to this one, but completely different.

Fan Lihua, a female coach in the Tang Dynasty, was also in command of the Western Expedition. When she marched here, she suddenly met with the enemy, so she launched a fierce battle. A battalion of female soldiers was collectively killed here, and the whole army was wiped out. Perhaps the tragic ending of justice touched heaven, or perhaps it was the heroic spirit of these fancy women who didn't want their flawless bodies to be destroyed by the kiss of the enemy's Emirates Wolf again. When Fan Lihua's handsome department triumphantly returned to the DPRK and came here, the wind suddenly blew, and for a time, yellow dust filled the air, flying sand covered the sun, and it blew for seven days and seven nights. After the wind stopped, the grassland was still green and the mountains and rivers were still gurgling, but this sand mountain appeared on the ground where the female soldiers of this battalion sacrificed, after hundreds of years. Whenever the dead of night, there will be a thunderous sound coming from the sand mountain; When people climb the sand mountain and step on the quicksand, they will make similar noises. That sound is like drums beating, iron hoofs jumbled, soldiers fighting each other, charming angry bursts, fierce flags, and swords and guns knocking around my ears.

after listening to this legend, people who listen to the roaring sound will feel as if they are in the Mingsha Mountain in the ancient battlefield where corpses are everywhere, rivers of blood are flowing, and grass is decaying and desolate, which has become an eternal monument for these ancient expeditionary soldiers who died in other places for the stability and reunification of the motherland and stayed in a foreign land in the western regions forever. Shapotou Tourist Area, located 16 kilometers west of zhongwei, Ningxia, is the first batch of 5A-level tourist attractions in China. It is the junction of the three provinces (regions) of Ningxia, Mongolia and Gansu. The Yellow River enters the Kawaguchi first, and it is the only place where the ancient Silk Road, the great channel of Europe and Asia, passes.

Shapotou Mingsha Mountain is located at the edge of Tengger Desert in Zhongwei County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The dunes are crescent-shaped, more than 1 meters high, and at the foot of the mountain is the surging Yellow River. When tourists slide down from the sand mountain with a height of 1 meters, they will hear the dull sound like bells and drums. At the bottom of the slope, there is a clear spring flowing from the bottom of the sand mountain, and no matter how much sand slides down from the sand mountain, it can't be blocked. According to legend, it used to be called Shuoyang City. On the fifteenth day of the first month of a certain year, when the Lantern Festival was raging in the city, suddenly the wind was blowing and the sand was flying. It has been blowing for three days and nights, and Shuoyang City was buried in the sand, forming a sand grave. It is said that it was the sound of gongs and drums at that time.