In the Chinese province of Gansu, southwest of the city of Dunhuang, there is an oasis of the same name. Recently, it has been very popular with tourists. The oasis was once the gateway to China on the Great Silk Road. And a few years ago, a crescent-shaped lake located in an oasis began to dry up.
The name of the oasis and the nearby city of Dunhuang, translated from the Chinese language, means "hearty, sparkling". At present, the government of the city county is located in another settlement - the Shazhou village. And once in ancient times, Dunhuang served as a gateway to China for everyone who followed the Great Silk Road. There was a crossroads of trade routes and a resting place for trade caravans.
Of course, silk was exported from China to the West along this route, and in addition - paper, precious metals and even iron. Gold, jewelry and household items were brought to China in whole caravans. And since the path of the caravans lay on continuous deserts, people and camels needed places to rest with fresh water. One of these oases was Dunhuang with Lake Yueyatsuan, which also has another more popular name - Crescent Lake.
Since ancient times, the waters of this lake have been endowed with medicinal properties. Therefore, later the whole oasis began to be considered a real healing resort. Modern travelers even now note the amazing purity of the lake water. And given the fact that around the endless expanses of lifeless sands, this lake really seems to be some kind of miracle.
But like any other body of water, Lake Yueyatsuan gradually dries up. In the 60s of the last century, measurements of the depth of the lake were taken - the maximum mark then reached seven meters. But after a few decades, this value dropped to 1.3 meters. Scientists realized that if nothing is done, then very soon the lake in the most beautiful oasis will disappear.
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After that, the Chinese authorities announced that they are going to sponsor the restoration of the previous volumes of this beautiful and important lake for local residents. But due to a lack of funding, government plans never came to fruition, and the lake, meanwhile, continues to dry up.
True, in 2006, the Chinese authorities, together with environmentalists, were able to prevent its complete shallowing - then they imposed a ban on drilling wells and conducting any agricultural activities. They also try to fill the lake with water little by little. The rate of water evaporation after these measures slowed down significantly, but did not stop completely. Therefore, it is very possible that Lake Yueyatsyuan in the Dunhuang oasis will only be visible in photographs in a few decades.
Now it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Several hotels were built in the oasis especially for tourists. Travelers are also offered camel rides, jeep riding in the desert and sandboarding - descents on a special board along the slopes of sand dunes.