Crescent Lake (Dunhuang)

This article is about the Crescent Moon Lake near Dunhuang, China. For other lakes of the same name, see Crescent Moon Lake.

Crescent Moon Lake Yueyaquan
The lake and pavilion in June 2006. What's left of the lake is on the far right.
Location	Gansu
Coordinates	40°5′12″N 94°40′10″E / 40.08667°N 94.66944°E / 40.08667; 94.66944Coordinates: 40°5′12″N 94°40′10″E / 40.08667°N 94.66944°E / 40.08667; 94.66944
Basin countries	China
Surface area	1.37 acres (0.55 ha)
Average depth	4-5 m (1960) 0.9 m (1990s)
Max. depth	7.5 m (1960) 1.3 m (1990s)

Yueyaquan (Chinese: 月牙泉; pinyin: Yuèyá Quán) is a crescent-shaped lake in an oasis, 6 km south of the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province, China. It was named Yueyaquan in the Qing Dynasty. According to measurements made in 1960, the average depth of the lake was 4 to 5 meters, with a maximum depth of 7.5 metres (25 ft) In the following 40 years, the depth of the lake continually declined. In the early 1990s, its area had shrunk to only 1.37 acres (5,500 m²) with an average depth of 0.9 meter (maximum 1.3 meter). In 2006, the local government with help of the central government started to fill the lake and restore its depth; its depth and size have been growing yearly since then. The lake and the surrounding deserts are very popular with tourists, who are offered camel and 4x4 rides.

References

Media related to Crescent Lake (Dunhuang) at Wikimedia Commons