Qemberxanim

Qemberxanim in 1947

Qemberxanim (Chinese: 康巴尔汗·艾买提; alternatively romanized as Kangba'erhan, Qambarkhan, or Kemberhan Emet; c. 1914 – March 1994) was a Uyghur dancer and choreographer.

Biography

Qemberxanim was born in Kashgar, Xinjiang. In 1927, due to financial constraints, her family moved to the Soviet Union to stay with relatives. In 1935, she was admitted to the Soviet Uzbekistan Ballet School, and two years later she was admitted to the Red Flag Song and Dance Ensemble in Tashkent. She also studied at Almaty Dance School and Moscow Dance Academy in the Soviet Union. She participated in the solo dance "Boat Song" in the large-scale musical Annal Khan, and was the lead dancer in the trio dance and group dance. In 1939, she was admitted to the Moscow Academy of Music and Dance Art, where she studied Ukrainian folk dance, Russian classical dance and folk dance, and Azerbaijani dance. During her studies, she once performed on the same stage in the Kremlin with Soviet dancer Galina Ulanova and others. The Uyghur solo dance "Linpa Dai," performed by Kangbal Khan, won her acclaim. After graduating in 1941, she returned to Tashkent to work with the Red Flag Song and Dance Ensemble.

Tamara Khanum, left, with whom Qemberxanim studied, talks with her, right, in 1952.

In April 1942, Qemberxanim returned to Xinjiang. In May 1942, she participated in the song and dance competition of 14 ethnic groups in Xinjiang held in Dihua (now Ürümqi). She and her sister, Guli Leranmu, won first place for their dance performances such as "Linpadai" and "Ushak." In September 1947, she went to Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Taiwan and other places to perform with the Xinjiang Youth Song and Dance Troupe. She was known as the "Flower of Xinjiang". During her performance in Shanghai, she met with Dai Ailian and Mei Lanfang.

Qemberxanim, right, being received by Mao Zedong, left, during National Day activities in late September 1950.

In 1949, she performed at a gala to welcome the Chinese People's Liberation Army to Xinjiang and was encouraged by the country's leaders. Several of her dances, including "Drumming", "Linpadai", and "Plate Dance", were included in the film documentary Long Live the Great Unity of All Ethnic Groups. In 1950, she went to Beijing as a representative of Xinjiang to participate in National Day activities and was received by Mao Zedong and other party and state leaders. In the early 1950s, she choreographed the dances "The Liberated Girl", "Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea", and adapted the "Liberation Army Dance". In 1956, she visited the Soviet Union with the Chinese Dance Investigation Team. She successively served as the director of the ethnic department of Northwest Arts College, the director of the art department of Xinjiang University, the vice president of Xinjiang Art School, the chair of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Dancers Association, and the vice chair of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Federation of Literary and Art Circles. At the Fourth National Congress of Cultural and Art Circles, she was elected vice chair of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and vice chair of the Chinese Dancers Association. She was the vice chair of the 4th to 6th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. She was also a member of the 5th to 6th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In October 1992, an art foundation named after her was established.

She died in March 1994.