The Moon Has WATER!

Who doesn't love an oasis? Since I'm a huge desert fan, of course I love them! This is Crescent Lake or Yueyaquan (Chinese: 月牙泉; pinyin: Yuèyá Quán)about four miles outside of Dunhuang City, China (population just under 200,000) and located in the heart of the Gobi Desert. It's obviously named after the cresent moon shape :). It has survived many moons do the landforms created by the wind. Falling sands from surrounding mountains, as a result of cross-ventilation, are sent back to the other side of the nearby Echoing-Sand Mountains. Thus, the sand never smothers the spring leaving it to survive eternally (hopefully). While most springs would have been buried quickly by sandstorms, this one has stood thousands of years as a true natural wonder.  The Crescent Lake has long become a sightseeing spot since the Western Han Dynasty(206 BC-9 AD). According to legends, Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty(206 BC-9 AD) obtained a heavenly horse near Wowa Pond (presently the Crescent Spring) and ordered a stele to be built in memory of the event at the very site of Wowa Pond, which is exactly the one we see today, and the inscriptions on the stele read "Wowa Pond of the Han Dynasty(206 BC-220)". In the Tang Dynasty(618-907), rows of simple and unsophisticated buildings in a neat order were distributed to the south of the Crescent Spring, including the Palace of the Heavenly Queen Mother, the Palace of the Dragon King, the Palace of Bodhisattva, the Cave of the Medicine Kingand the Platform of the Thunder God, from east to west.Hundreds of colored statues and paintings were enshrined in the major palaces. The Echoing Sand dunes are just an other strange feature of this oasis. As strong winds sweep across the sand dunes, a thunder-like (yet musical)sound fills the air at up to 85 decibels (damaging to the ears if exposed over long periods). A number of fun activities can be enjoyed at the oasis including sand therapy?, sand sliding, parasailing, hiking and of course, camel rides. Almost forgot.... photography :)!