Echoing-sand Mountain，Crescent Lake，and Leiyin Temple

Echoing-sand Mountain is located 6km south of Dunhuang city proper，and this ranges of sand dunes winds on from Mogao Grottoes in the east，to Danghe Reservoir in the west，altogether about 40km long，20km wide，rising up at a relative height of dozens of meters.The highest spot is its Southwest Peak of the rear mountain，about.above sea level，while the pri-mary peak of its front mountain is 1，240m above sea level.It is o named because，under the human tread or wind blow，the sand produces a sound like a string instrument，a horn，a drum，or that of rumbling thunder.

Descent Lake looks exactly like a beautiful new moon lying at the north foot of Echoing-sand Mountain.It is about 118m long from east to west，54m wide，5m deep in four wonders:for thousands of years its shape re-mains exactly the same，a clean and green oasis on the deadly land，rightinside the threatening sand dunes but never filled up by the sand，and a dish of the old fish from the lake will keep one always young.

Leiyin Temple is north of Echoing-sand Mountain，built in 1991 and cov-ering an area of 3000m2.The original temple，it is said，was buried under the Echoing-sand Mountain in a sandstorm.The new temple has over a hundred rooms，halls，pavilions，and houses，as well as 37 statues，of which the marble Sakyamuni was donated by overseas Chinese in Burma.At the moment a dozen of monk live in the temple and regularly hold Buddhism services.Now the temple is a key center in western China services.Now the temple is a key center in western China open to the world for Buddhist activ-ities.

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