# 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 to 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