Queue (hairstyle)

A queue or cue is a hairstyle historically worn by the Jurchen and Manchu peoples of Manchuria. During the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, it was required to be worn by male Han Chinese subjects. The top of the scalp is shaved and the back portion of hair on the head is often grown long and is braided. The distinctive hairstyle led to its wearers being targeted during anti-Chinese riots in Australia and the United States. The edict that Han Chinese men and others under Manchu rule give up their traditional hairstyles and wear the queue, the Tifayifu, was met with resistance, although opinions about the queue did change over time. Han women were never required to wear their hair in the traditional women's Manchu style, liangbatou, although that too was a symbol of Manchu identity. Short queues were also worn by soldiers of European and North American armies in the 18th century, a custom that ended during the Napoleonic Wars.