The five most beautiful deserts in China, as voted recently by media such as Chinese National Geographic magazine. Come and feast your eyes on their imposing beauty!

The Badain Jaran Desert

1. The Badain Jaran Desert

Covering an area of 47,000 square kilometers, the Badain Jaran Desert is the third largest desert in China and the fourth largest in the world. The desert, located in the Araxan League of northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has numerous moon- and pyramid-shaped sand dunes, the largest of which towers more than 450 meters in height and stretches over 5 km in length. Its unusual peaks, singing-sand, lakes and springs are called the "four features" of the Badain Jaran Desert. The Badain Jaran also boasts roughly 140 spring-fed lakes that reside in the interspaces of its giant megadunes, creating one of the most captivating desert landscapes in the world. It is from these quiet but curious bodies of water that the Baidan Jaran, which means "mysterious lake" in the local Mongolian dialect, derives its name.

Tourists walk in the Badain Jaran Desert.

The Taklimakan Desert

2. The Taklimakan Desert

Covering an area of 337,600 square kilometers in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the Taklamakan Desert is the largest sandy desert in China and the second largest drifting desert in the world, second only to the Sahara. It is 1,000 kilometers long from east to west and 400 kilometers wide from north to south. It is crossed at its northern and at its southern edges by two branches of the Silk Road, as travelers sought to avoid the arid wasteland. "Taklimakan" has the foreboding meaning of "you can come in, but you can never come out."

Grand view of the Taklimakan Desert.

The Gurbantunggut Desert

3. The Gurbantunggut Desert

Located in the center of the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the Gurbantunggut Desert is the second largest desert in China, covering an area of 48,800 square kilometers. Fixed or semi-fixed sand ridges cover 97 percent of the desert.

Spectacular view of a sunset in the Gurbantunggut Desert.

The Singing Sand Dunes

4. The Singing Sand Dunes

Located at seven kilometers south of Dunhuang in northwest China's Gansu Province, the Singing Sand Dunes, together with the Crescent Moon Spring, form one of the most famous and attractive scenic spots in Gansu. Singing sand is sand that produces sounds of either high or low frequencies under pressure. The sound emissions are usually triggered by wind passing over the dunes or by people walking on the sand.

Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Moon Spring.

The Shapotou Desert

5. The Shapotou Desert

Situated in Zhongwei city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the Shapotou Desert is a national 5A-level tourist attraction lying on the north bank of the Yellow River where it crosses the southeastern border of the Tengger Desert. The mixture of water and desert makes it an aesthetic wonderland. The sunset on the Yellow River and sunrise in the desert are particularly memorable. Thousands of domestic tourists descend upon the Shapotou Desert each year to enjoy the natural scenery and partake in various activities on and around the 100-metre high dunes.

A panoramic view of Shapotou Desert.