The Girl from Dabancheng

The Girl from Dabancheng (Chinese: 达坂城的姑娘; pinyin: Dá bǎnchéng de gūniáng), also known as "Qemberxan" (Uyghur: قەمبەرخان), is a popular Uyghur folk song about the Uyghur youth's yearning for a beautiful woman named Qemberxan.

In 1938, it was adapted into Mandarin Chinese by Wang Luobin and was sung in Lanzhou under the title "Song of the Coachman" (Chinese: 馬車夫之歌; pinyin: Mǎchē fū zhī gē). It became the first Uyghur folk song translated into Chinese in modern China. Later, Wang Luobin's lyrics were modified and the work was renamed "The Girl from Dabancheng"; some had renamed it to "The Girl from Hangzhou" with the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River. The song was later adapted in various forms. One performance of the song won an award in Pyongyang, North Korea in 2001.

One of the early recordings of the song was done by a German ethnomusicologist on the singing of a Turpan Taranchi farmer's 16-year-old daughter. The song was most likely composed by a Uyghur soldier back in the time of Yaqub Beg, when the soldier was posted from southern Xinjiang to the north (Ili) or east (Turpan). Indeed, there are many songs dated back that time associated with a soldier's courtship, such as Havagul (mispronounced and adapted by Wang Luobin as Avargul), which talks about a girl in Ili. However, "Qemberxan" talks about a girl in Dabancheng (or Davanching in the Uyghur language) which lies between Turpan and Urumqi, and is a district of Urumqi. This district is well known as an entrepot on inter-oasis travel. The reputation of the beauty of local girls is partly due to the mixing among the different populations that traveled through it.

Lyrics

Uyghur original

Uyghur Arabic alphabet	Uyghur Latin alphabet	Uyghur Cyrillic alphabet
داۋانچىڭنىڭ يېرى قاتتىق تاۋۇزى تاتلىق داۋانچىڭدا بىر يارىم بار قەمبەرخان ئاتلىق قەمبەرخاننىغى ساچى ئۇزۇن يېرگې تېگېمدۇ قەمبەرخاندىن سوراپ بەقىڭ ئېرگې تېگېمدۇ ئۇششاققىنا ئۈنچىلىرىم چېچىلىپ كېتتى تېرىپ بەرسەڭچۇ سويېي دىسېم بويۇم يېتمېش ئېگىلىپ بەرسەڭچۇ ئاتلارىڭنى خايدايدىكېن مۇز داۋان بىلېن بىر ياخشىنى قىينايديكېن بىر يامان بىلېن قارىسام گۆرېنمېيدۇ داۋانچىڭدىغى قورغان ئېجېپ بىر يامان ئىكېن قەمبەرخاندىن ئايرىلغان	Dawanchingnighi yëri qattiq tawuzi tatliq Dawanchingda bir yarim bar Qemberxan atliq Qemberxannighi sachi uzun yërgë tëgëmdu Qemberxandin sorap beqing ërgë tëgëmdu Ushshaqqina ünchilirim chëchilip këtti tërip bersengchu Soyëy disëm boyum yëtmës ëgilip bersengchu Atlaringni xaydaydikën muz dawan bilën Bir yaxshini qiynaydikën bir yaman bilën Qarisam görënmëydu Dawanchingdighi qorghan Ëjëp bir yaman ikën Qemberxandin ayrilghan	Даванчиңниғи ери қаттиқ тавузи татлиқ Даванчиңда бир ярим бар Қәмбәрхан атлиқ Қәмбәрханниғи сачи узун ерге тегеиду Қәмбәрхандин сорап бәқиң эрге тегемду Ушшаққина үнчилирим чечилип кетти терип бәрсәңчу Соей дисем боюм етмес эгилип бәрсәңчу Атлари хайдайдикен муз даван билен Бир яхшини қийнайдикен бир яман билен Қарисам гөренмейду Даванчиңдиғи қорған Эҗеп бир яман икен Қәмбәрхандин айрилған

Lyrics by Wang Luobin

达坂城的石路硬又平啦 西瓜大又甜啦
那里住的的姑娘辫子长啊 两个眼睛真漂亮
你要是嫁人不要嫁给别人一定要你嫁给我
带上你的钱财连着你的妹妹赶上那马车来

English Translation

The soil of the Davanching is hard

But the water melon is sweet

My darling is in Davanching

Qambarhan is so sweet.

Qambarhan’s hair is so long

It touches the ground

Please ask darling Qambarhan

Does she want to get a husband.

My tiny pearls spilled on the ground

Please help me to pick them up

I’d like to kiss you, but can’t reach

Please bow your head down.

One can ride a horse

Around icy mountains.

One tortures a good soul

By an evil man

It is hard to see

No matter how hard I look.

The separation with Qambarhan.

Is extremely hard to endure