Symbolism in Chinese culture: In Chinese culture, many things including hairstyles have symbolic meanings. The queue hairstyle symbolized submission to Qing rule.
Foot Binding: Another cultural practice enforced during certain periods in China where young girls' feet were tightly bound to prevent growth as small feet were considered beautiful and desirable.
Cultural assimilation: This is when one group absorbs cultural traits from another group. The imposition of the queue hairstyle on Han Chinese can be seen as an attempt at cultural assimilation by Manchu rulers.