Queue (hairstyle)

The queue, also known as a "pigtail" in the West during the Qing dynasty, was a specific male hairstyle mandated by the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty in China. It consisted of shaving the front of the head, typically up to the temples, while allowing the hair on the back of the head to grow long and be braided into a single plait or queue.

The queue was far more than just a hairstyle; it was a potent symbol of submission to Qing rule. The Manchu viewed adopting the queue as a sign of allegiance and obedience. Han Chinese men were initially ordered to adopt the queue in 1645 through an edict that stated "Keep your hair, lose your head; Keep your head, lose your hair." Refusal to wear the queue was considered an act of rebellion and was punishable by death.

The queue policy caused widespread resistance and resentment among the Han Chinese population, who considered shaving their heads and wearing a braid to be a humiliating imposition and a violation of traditional Confucian norms regarding hair as a gift from one's parents to be preserved.

Over time, however, the queue became more commonplace, even amongst some who resented it, as a means of survival under Qing rule. It persisted as the mandatory male hairstyle for the remainder of the dynasty. The queue was eventually abolished after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 during the Xinhai Revolution, leading many men to cut off their queues as a sign of liberation and embrace of modernity. The act of cutting the queue was often symbolic of severing ties with the old regime and embracing the new republic.