alternatehistory.com

What would it take for the Russians to rule China and be accepted as such by the Chinese? Would a seriously fragmented China be enough? What PODs might cause such fragmentation of China. Maybe if the Manchu fail to completely subdue the various Chinese ethnicities, but manage to seriously hamper them to the point they look up to the Russians to defeat the Manchu. Or does this require an early POD putting Russia in a more stronger position as it begins its eastwards march? Could Russia gradually absorb China like the British did in India?

I might be stretching it, but if this can happen early enough (1650s - 1700s), then the Tsar might be seen has having the Mandate of Heaven, leading to a personal union of two Empires under one Emperor. How much Chinese influence can be expected to creep into Russian society, and will this somehow affect the "westernization" of Russia-- what kind Ideologies will develop in Russia ITTL? Can this great "Eurasian Empire" be expected to survive in any form-- even as an alliance between two related but ununified empires -- to the modern era? (I'm expecting massive butterflies when it comes to Ideology and Nationalism, so I am not too sure about either democracy or the nation-state become global norms)
Top