It is said that long ago, the Dunhuang region was an endless expanse of vast Gobi desert, with neither the Echoing Sand Mountain nor the Crescent Spring. Only a small oasis lay at the foot of the Sanwei Mountain, where people lived and thrived.
One year, a severe drought struck. Wells dried up, trees withered, and the people cried out in thirst.
The kind-hearted White Cloud Fairy happened to pass by and, witnessing this tragic scene, felt as though needles pierced her heart. Bound by rules that forbade her from summoning rain, she could only weep. As her tears fell to the ground, they gathered into a clear spring. The water moistened the soil, revived the withered trees, brought crops back to life, and saved the people.
In gratitude, the people revered her as the White Cloud Bodhisattva, building a temple and erecting a statue beside the spring. The temple flourished with offerings and worship. This, however, angered the Great Immortal of Divine Sand across the way. Returning from a journey, he found his own temple deserted and fumed, "This is my territory! How dare you show off your power?" He grabbed a handful of sand, shouted "Rise," and suddenly a massive sand mountain emerged from the Gobi, squeezing the spring's opening smaller and smaller.
Knowing it was the doing of the Great Immortal of Divine Sand, the White Cloud Fairy sought help from Chang'e in the Ninth Heaven. Chang'e asked about her purpose and said, "You bring blessings to the mortal world; I must help you. But today is only the fifth day of the lunar month, and the moon is not yet full." The White Cloud Fairy replied, "A crescent moon will do." She borrowed the crescent moon and brought it back, placing it before the temple. Instantly, it transformed into a curve of emerald water, shaped like a reclining moon—the Crescent Spring.
The Great Immortal of Divine Sand tried again to fill the spring. With a gentle wave of her sleeve, Chang'e stirred a breeze that lifted the flowing sand to the mountaintop. Roaring with fury, the Great Immortal of Divine Sand was powerless—and from then on, the sand mountain often emitted echoes, becoming the Echoing Sand Mountain.
Ever since, the sand mountains have encircled the clear spring, and the Crescent Spring has never been buried again. To this day, one can still hear the thunderous sounds of the sand mountain and witness the wondrous sight of descending sand being gently blown back to the mountaintop by the breeze.
Gansu's Dunhuang: Four performances breathe new life into the thousand-year-old culture of DunhuangNo More
