Case Details

We wander through nature hoping to meet it at its most beautiful moment—when the stars align, the landscape beckons, and kindred spirits gather. Yet Su Shi had it right when he said: “Men have sorrow and joy; they part or meet again; the moon is bright or dim and she may wax or wane.” That, after all, is the way of the world. Think of Sand Lake in Ningxia—a place where water embraces sand dunes in a spectacle like no other. It is a sanctuary for birds, where desert and lake compose a love story. Just a glimpse of its images stirs your soul, and before you know it, you are already aching to go, to lose yourself in its wonders. But life is broken into hurried pieces, and when you finally steal a day for Sand Lake, you may find the sunset’s golden kiss upon the water already faded, or the wild geese in their transient glory already gone. Even if fortune grants you the very heart of the bird season, you may not tell a heron from a hawk—and all you can caption your photo is a timid “Bird paradise”. And when the stars wheel into the night sky and the desert lies hushed in moonlight—such a scene belongs only to the few, for the gates are shut to the common hour. Must the idyll we dream of always stay so far beyond our reach? Perhaps an AR experience can open a door back into that poetry.

Six Dreams in a Fleeting Life

Within Sand Lake, we have woven six dreamscapes, each a world unto itself. Yet together they unfold in quiet layers, so that from the very first glimpse to the final bow, wonder waits at every turn. Come, follow Sha Xiaodiao, the untamed white-tailed eagle, and Hu Luwa, the grey heron who keeps watch over these waters, as they lead you through the six dreams of a fleeting life.

Welcome Plaza · First Impressions of Sand Lake

The first dream unfolds at the Welcome Plaza. Here Sha Xiaodiao takes centre stage, his voice ringing with passion as he paints the full picture of Sand Lake, where the grace of southern waters meets the grandeur of the northern desert. With a simple scan, the scene comes alive. A 3D map materialises in the air, dotted with AR checkpoints and suggested trails, while the Ten Scenic Spots of Sand Lake await your touch to light them up. In that very first encounter, the whole landscape opens itself to you.

Ferry Dock · A Fleeting Glimpse

The second dream finds you at the ferry dock, on the threshold of setting sail. It is here that Hu Luwa comes flying in, bringing that unforgettable glimpse, that sudden grace—the wild geese of Sand Lake, the first gift the lake bestows upon you. Your voyage then begins as a journey of wind and waves. Before you, hundreds of wild geese sweep across the sky in untamed flight. Stretch out your hand, and the moment of meeting them brushes your fingertips. You may even lose yourself in a spatial vision, watching the geese soar alongside your boat. So even if the season of geese has passed, the encounter is still yours to hold, a vision beyond time.

Tiny Zoo · A Downpour of Cute

The third dream carries you from the shimmering waters into the Tiny Zoo. Sha Xiaodiao is there to greet you, ready to introduce its most endearing residents. Toss the ball, and one of these little creatures comes trotting over—whether it’s a monkey, a winged horse, a chubby dragon, a cat-fish, a pug, or a tiny frog, each with its own charm. Collect all six, and a little surprise from Sand Lake awaits you.

Swan Island · Birds Flocking the Sky

The fourth dream draws you onward, following a call from the wild, until you find yourself on Swan Island. Here Hu Luwa stands among her feathered kindred, and as she speaks, the sky awakens with white-tailed eagles, grey cranes, and countless other wings. Feathers drift like scattered leaves around you, each carrying a question in its silence. Let one land in your palm, and the answer finds you not as information, but as a quiet understanding. In this moment, you are no longer a stranger to this place—you are part of its winged life. And this paradise has always been here, waiting, whether you come or stay away.

Water Accessible Beach · Starry Sand Mirage

In this dream, Sha Xiaodiao takes on the voice of a solitary poet, standing atop a dune washed in moonlight, and recites a desert elegy: “The camel is the sun, the moon, and the bell that tolls the desert’s measure. When the moon spills across the land and the stars hang thick as sand, when the dunes curve and fall like silver combers, the camel is an ark. Meteors slip across the sky; beneath, the world breathes.” Make your wish on a passing star. The desert by day is a roar of sun and motion; by night, it withdraws into its own vastness—and when wonder touches that vastness, the moonlit dunes and falling stars you dreamed of come alive, as real as a heartbeat.

Sleepless City · Heaven on Earth

The final dream lowers you gently from the wild heights of nature into the soft glow of human warmth and festivity. Beneath the arch of the Sleepless City, Sha Xiaodiao and Hu Luwa await, their voices rising together in welcome:

“Sand Lake is not merely a meeting of sand and water—it is a place where ancient China comes alive when darkness falls. Here you may taste the world’s flavours in a single street, and let your eyes wander through a thousand dazzling scenes. Above, dragons coil through the air, phoenixes unfurl their wings of light; as they dance, so does your spirit. What was once no more than a mortal marketplace is now, by a shimmer of grace, a palace among the clouds—and you find yourself lost, unsure whether this is earth or the heavens themselves.”

AR Slow Livestream: A Love Song of Sand Lake

We wanted to give more than the fleeting moment of a visit. We wanted to leave behind a love song, slow and lingering, a livestream that would carry the soul of Sand Lake to those who could not be there. So we placed our gaze at the one point where sand and water meet in perfect balance. Into that quiet view, we let a dragon palace emerge, ghostlike, ringed by lanterns that float like reeds in bloom. Above them, fish swim in easy arcs; farther out, speedboats tear the lake into ribbons of white, while paragliders hang suspended in the vast blue. On the sand, camels move in their age-old procession, hot-air balloons drift like slow planets, and sand-sculpture castles keep their silent watch. It is all there—the thrill and the hush, the ancient and the new—in one unhurried frame. Watch it once, and even if you have never walked the shores of Sand Lake, something in you will have already begun the journey.

Sand Lake Field Guide

Beyond AR, there is one more gift we have set aside for you: the Sand Lake Field Guide. Open it, and you will find the lake’s winged, finned, and rooted inhabitants—birds in their flight, fish in their depths, and plants in their quiet green. Page by page, the world of Sand Lake unfolds in your hands. And when you close it, you will carry more than knowledge—you will carry the lake itself, in all its living detail.

AI Digital Concierges

In a world where the digital has become part of everyday wonder, Sand Lake, too, keeps a quiet magic of its own. Sha Xiaodiao and Hu Luwa are not merely guides through your dreams—they are companions who stay by your side, ready to answer any question that stirs in your mind, whether you wish to know the story behind a distant shore or the moment the night lights begin to glow. Nothing you ask is ever too small; nothing is beyond them.