Chinese take Siberia before the Russians do

Hi!

How would history have developed if the Chinese, not Russians, first settled in Siberia? I don't know if there would have been enough population pressure hundreds of years ago to force the Chinese to look for new land there, but there would have been more pressure for them than the Russians.
 
Hard, since the Chinese perceived the Northern barbarians as a permanent pest, not a conquer able people- the costs for any major expedition would be enormous.

A possibility I can see is a longer-lasting Yuan dynasty, or maybe a successor Han-led empire that tries to "avenge its past" by invading Mongolia and possibly beyond.
 
Even if China claims Siberia, they need to have the power to assert their control. Remember that the Qing and the predecessors once claimed land much further north and west than the present borders of China, including the entire Amur river basin (Outer Manchuria), Sakhalin, and big chunks of modern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
 
They didn't want the land. Besides, they didn't even have enough people to Hanify their own area and didn't get into Manchuria until a century back. Most of the north was home to the horsemen that kept invading. If everyone if trying to move South, why would the Chinese move north?
 
Even if China claims Siberia, they need to have the power to assert their control. Remember that the Qing and the predecessors once claimed land much further north and west than the present borders of China, including the entire Amur river basin (Outer Manchuria), Sakhalin, and big chunks of modern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

Remember that the Qing didn't allow Han settlers there, so it would be difficult to keep the land. There's an easy POD.
 
China did claim Siberia. They claimed the world.
The Sakhalin tribes at the least actively paid tribute on a few occasions.

The Ming do seem to be the problem with their wanting to keep Manchuria Manchu and all that. Have the opposite happen and a Han dynasty conquer the Macnhus then we're talking.
 
China did claim Siberia. They claimed the world.
The Sakhalin tribes at the least actively paid tribute on a few occasions.

The Ming do seem to be the problem with their wanting to keep Manchuria Manchu and all that. Have the opposite happen and a Han dynasty conquer the Macnhus then we're talking.

Ah, that's what happens in my TL (Imjin War TL). Unfortunately, that's a spoiler, since we haven't gotten to that part yet!
 
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