The present Dynasty, on conquering the previous ruling house, imposed by martial law upon every male in the country the Manchu style of the queue. Before the advent of the present Dynasty in 1644, the Chinese wore their hair long, usually tied up in a knot on the top of their heads. The far-reaching effect and significance of this reform, however, cannot be estimated aright without some knowledge of the origin and singular meaning of this peculiar form of wearing the hair, which has been the mark of ridicule on the one hand, and a sign of refinement on the other.Īfter noting the great fondness which the Chinese in the United States have for their queues in the face of much inconvenience and embarrassment, one can hardly believe that this style of tonsure was once forced upon them, with the sword, as a mark of subjection. Indeed, the Chinese without the queue are inconceivable! It is no wonder, then, that the recent Imperial Edict of the Chinese Emperor ordering all the Chinese diplomatic officers to cut off their queues, has at once aroused world-wide interest. To mention the Chinese immediately suggests the queue, and to mention the queue at once reminds one of the Chinese. The queue and the Chinese have become synonymous. The significance of the economic as well as moral meaning behind this reform can hardly be overestimated. The queue itself is insignificant but its abolition means incomparably more than the mere removal of a few feet of hair. THAT a new style in the cut of the hair may mean, on the one hand, a saving of millions of dollars a year to a whole people, involving the destiny of a nation, and on the other hand, the most disastrous derangement of economic conditions, even to the extent of dislocating great industries of a whole nation, may not have occurred to those who have noted recently that the Chinese are cutting off their queues.
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