The Crescent Lake

The Crescent Lake also known as Yuyaquan. It is located 6 kilometers south of downtown Dunhuang. Just like its name indicates, the Crescent Lake is in a natural shape of half-moon and had been commonly considered as one of the Eight Great Landscapes of Dunhuang together with the Singing Sand Mountain early in Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD). Crescent Lake extends for nearly 100 meters from south to north and about 25 meters from east to westn and has a deepest point of approximately 5 meters. Compared to its annual evaporation capacity of 2400 mm, Crescent Lake has an annual amount of precipitation of only 50 mm. However, the particular geographic landform around it prevents it from being buried in the desert. The best time for visiting Dunhuang is from May to September. Every year, it attracts numerous visitors. The visiting of Crescent Lake is usually arranged together with Singing Sand Mountain as a half day tour.