Dunes of the Singing Sands Travel Guide

Located 6 kilometers south of Dunhuang city, Roaring Mingsha Hill(Mingshashan) offers the best picture-book desert scenery. The dune, surrounded by rolling ridges and precipitous cliffs, reaches a relative height of 250 meters. Seen from afar, the mountain is just like a golden dragon winding its way over the horizon. As you approach you become aware that the sand has many colors ranging from red to yellow, green, black and white.

A wonderful view across the rolling desert sands towards the oasis comes to your sight after reach the top. When sliding down along the sands, it will make sound of "rumbling sands" or the sound of thunder or a drum-roll as the wind sweeps across the sands. Some say that the sand is singing, while to others it is like an echo and this is how the mountain gets its name.

You may wonder why the sand makes these different sounds. There is a legend that says how, in ancient times, a general with many soldiers came here to fight in a war with their enemies. While they were engaged in a fierce battle, a great gust of wind buried all the warriors in the sand and the sand mountain was formed.

As the battle was at its height, the soldiers continued to fight beneath the sand. Thus, the sound you hear is said to be the roar of the soldiers. However, the real cause is the friction and static created as the wind shifts the sand or you slip down the mountainside.