Kubuqi Desert
The splendid Kubuqi Desert means bowstring in the Inner Mongolian dialect. It lies to the south of the Yellow River like a long band extending about 400 kilometers from east to west. The desert is 50 kilometers wide in the west, 15-20 kilometers wide in the east and covers an area of 16,756 sq. kilometers, making it is the seventh largest desert in China.
It is about 800 kilometers away but still the closest desert to Beijing. The various land formation of desert, lakes, wetland, oasis and the Yellow River enrich its attraction. In addition, over thousand birds including the rare white swans inhabit the area in or around the desert.
Generally, the sand dunes are 10-15 meters high and the moving dunes make up 80% of the total area of the Kubuqi Desert. Some of the sand dunes on the edge of the desert move so fast that they meet Maowusu Sand Land in the west. This forms a natural phenomenon just as if people were shaking hands and has given birth to the famous tourist attraction - Resonant Sand Gorge (Xiang Sha Wan).
Famous Resonant Sand Gorge
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The Resonant Sand Gorge is situated at the north edge of the Kubuqi Desert, 3 kilometers away from the 210 state highway and 44 kilometers from Baotou in the north. It is more a place of natural beauty than of historical importance. Backed by the Kubuqi Desert, the dunes assume a crescent shape with a height of 110 meters and gradient of 45 degrees. It received its name from the echoing "Shhhh" that the sand makes as you step on the surface. It's said that the noise of sliding sand, after which the place is named, was thought by Marco Polo to be demons seeking to lure travelers to their death.
Tourists there can try camel rides, parasailing, sliding the dunes or simply building sand castles.