Echoing-Sand Mountain (Mingsha Shan) is five kilometers (about three miles) south of the city Dunhuang. Made of sands, this mountain has a length of 40 kilometers, a width of 20 kilometers and a height of 250 meters. There is Crescent so called because of its shape.

The sand of this mountain has many colors like red, yellow, green, black and white. When a strong wind blows, the fast shifting sand roars; but when the wind is little more than a light breeze, the sand produces gentle, dulcet sounds akin to music. It is the same when you are sliding down the mountainside. This is how the mountain gets its name.