The mirror-like Crescent Moon Spring is nestled between tall sand dunes. [Photo by Wang Binyin/chinadaily.com.cn]

Snowflakes quietly descended on Northwest China's Dunhuang Desert on Dec 10. The Crescent Moon Spring was covered with a thin layer of gauze.  

The spring, located five kilometers south of Dunhuang, a county-level city, got its name from its moon-like shape. Its waters are about three meters deep and taste fresh and sweet .

Crescent Moon Spring existed for thousands of years and has never dried up or been swallowed by sand. It was listed as a National Key Tourist Attraction of the People's Republic of China in 1994. Every year, millions of tourists are drawn to it.