The Ming-sha Dunes
The
"Hill of Sounding Sand" described in the Tun Huang Lu is in fact a very
extensive line of dunes which rise above the river leading to Dunhuang from the west and
extend back to the flat gravel highlands which separate the valley (at some distance) from
the Richthofen Range of the Nan-Shan. The prominence of the dunes is such that
at one time their name was attached to Dunhuang itself. The "singing" of
the sand as it is blown by the wind or as one slides down it is real, although not
anywhere near as loud as popular perception might have it.
Today the dunes are one of the tourist attractions of the area, designated
as a park, with guards who will apprehend visitors who
try to sneak out on them at night to enjoy the desert by
moonlight. One can hire a camel for a ride across the dunes. Here is a view to
the West from high on the dunes, with a portion of the Dunhuang oasis off to the
left. It seems as though the Tun Huang Lu's author is describing a route that may
have skirted the lower part of the dunes before heading south above the valley floor on
"stony desert" to get to the Mogao Caves. Perhaps the extent of the dunes
is greater today than it was in his time.
The
dunes now extend to above the cliff where the Mogao Caves are located and present one of
the major problems for the conservation of the caves. Various experiments are
underway to stabilize the sand and prevent it from sifting down over the cave facade and
eroding everything it touches when driven by a good wind.
« Return to the Tun Huang Lu.
© 1999 Daniel C. Waugh
The
"Hill of Sounding Sand" described in the Tun Huang Lu is in fact a very
extensive line of dunes which rise above the river leading to Dunhuang from the west and
extend back to the flat gravel highlands which separate the valley (at some distance) from
the Richthofen Range of the Nan-Shan. The prominence of the dunes is such that
at one time their name was attached to Dunhuang itself. The "singing" of
the sand as it is blown by the wind or as one slides down it is real, although not
anywhere near as loud as popular perception might have it. 
