Five kilometers south of Dunhuang, the yellow sand is like a sea, rolling and undulating. Surrounded by the Mingsha Mountain, there is a clear spring shaped like a crescent moon, hence the name Crescent Lake. This spring has been lying quietly in the heart of the desert for more than two thousand years. Despite the raging wind and sand, it has never dried up or become turbid. Like a silent watcher, it witnesses the sound of camel bells on the Silk Road and the pressing of modern civilization.
The setting sun dyes the sand dunes golden, and the spring reflects the blue of the sky and the red of the clouds, like a gem inlaid in the desert. Reeds grow around the spring, and a few water birds fly over the water, stirring up tiny ripples. This scene forms a wonderful contrast with the vast desert around it - on one side is the rhythm of life, and on the other side is the silence of death. The deepest part of Crescent Lake is only five meters, but it has never dried up. Even in the driest years, the water surface always maintains a stable height.
This reminds me of the record in "Shui Jing Zhu": "There is a sand well in Dunhuang, which is dozens of steps wide, and its water is clear and unfathomable." The mysterious sand well in the eyes of the ancients is today's Crescent Moon Spring. For thousands of years, countless merchants and travelers have stopped here, camel caravans have rested here, and monks have traveled west to seek the Dharma. The spring water nourishes life and culture. The Tang Dynasty poet Cen Shen once wrote the poem "Travelers are lost in the yellow sand, and the sky is straight down in all directions", which may be describing the wonder of the oasis in this sea of sand.
Standing on the top of Mingsha Mountain and overlooking Crescent Moon Spring, the spring water is crystal clear and surrounded by sand hills, like a natural Tai Chi diagram. Yin and Yang coexist, and hardness and softness complement each other. This may be the revelation that Crescent Moon Spring gives us-in extreme environments, life can always find the possibility of existence; between development and protection, balance is the eternal theme.
Crescent Moon Spring is not an ordinary spring water, it is the soul of the desert and a symbol of hope in drought. It tells us that the most fragile are often the most tenacious, just like the tears falling in the sea of sand, which have gone through thousands of years of wind and frost and are still as clear as new.
