Crescent Lake

Introducing Crescent Lake
Located about 6km south of the city of Dunhuang, the Crescent Lake, also known as Crescent Moon Pool, is a fresh water spring in the shape of a half moon in the arms of the Singing Sand Dunes. The lake is nearly 100 meters long from south to north and 54m wide from east to west and contains pure spring water. The Crescent Lake’s water is so pure and clear that it looks like an emerald jewel in the sand.

Crescent Lake Fast Facts
• Nama Cina: Yueyaquan 月牙泉
• Masa Terbaik untuk Melawat: April hingga Oktober
• Waktu Pelawat yang Disyorkan: Tentang 1 kepada 2 jam
• Aktiviti yang Perlu Dilakukan: Fotografi, Alam, Mendaki
• Waktu Pembukaan: 06:00-19:30
• Bayaran Masuk: ¥110 from May to Oct; ¥55 from Nov to Apr
• Alamat: 5 km Southeast of Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Wilayah Gansu

What to expect at Crescent Lake

Along the side of the Crescent Lake is a pagoda in traditional Han Chinese architecture. A street lined with souvenir stalls leads up from the entrance to the complex. The site is popular with tourists who are taken on camel rides by guides to the peaks of the surrounding sand dunes.

“The sand sings when the wind blows; the spring reflects the moon clearly.” It is only a distance of 10 meters between the flowing sand and the spring, but in spite of the strong wind flowing, the Crescent Lake has never been covered by the quicksand. Lying in the desert, the spring water is never muddy or dry up. This kind of geomorphological feature — “Mountain and spring coexist, sand and water are in harmony” — is nothing other than a wonder.

The lake has been in existence for at least two thousand years, but for the last few decades it has been gradually disappearing. According to measurement made in 1960, the average depth of the lake was 4 kepada 5 meter, with maximum depth 7.5 meter. Pada awal 1990-an, luas kawasan tasik telah mengecil kepada hanya 1.37 ekar (5,500 m2) dengan kedalaman purata 0.9 meter (maksimum 1.3 meter). Tasik Crescent telah menurun lebih daripada 25 kaki dalam tiga dekad yang lalu sementara paras air bawah tanah di kawasan lain telah jatuh sebanyak 35 kaki. Di 2006, kerajaan tempatan dengan bantuan kerajaan pusat mula mengisi tasik dan memulihkan kedalamannya; kedalaman dan saiznya telah bertambah setiap tahun sejak itu. Kelangsungan tasik yang menakjubkan di tengah gurun dipercayai disebabkan oleh altitudnya yang rendah, sementara kedudukannya juga dianggap menghalang pasir berlebihan dari bukit pasir sekitarnya jatuh ke dalamnya.

Cara untuk ke Tasik Crescent
• Naik bas No. 3 ke Tasik Crescent secara langsung.
• Naik teksi ke Tasik Crescent dari pusat bandar (kira-kira 10 minit).