From the Russian perspective, why has China never occupied Siberia despite thousands of years?

Siberia, a vast and frigid land, is just a stone's throw away from China.

However, despite ancient China’s knowledge of its existence, it never attempted to incorporate this land into its territory.

In contrast, Russia managed to conquer this land in just a few hundred years.

What historical reasons and deeper logic lie behind this?

The climate of Siberia is nearly extreme.

During winter, temperatures often drop to as low as -50°C, with snow covering the land for several months, making the cold almost unimaginable.

Even modern people, wearing high-tech cold weather gear, would find it unbearable, let alone people from ancient times.

What’s even harsher is that vast areas of land are permafrost, making agricultural production nearly impossible.

Although ancient Chinese rulers had learned of Siberia’s existence as early as the Han Dynasty through Zhang Qian’s missions to the Western Regions, this land never held any practical value for China, even during the Tang and Yuan dynasties.

Although Mongol cavalry briefly occupied parts of the region, China never established long-term rule there.

Why did China never establish administrative governance in Siberia?

One practical reason was the exorbitant cost of transportation.

Without modern transportation, ancient travelers from Central China to Siberia would have to cross countless mountain ranges, a journey that could take months.

Transporting supplies and moving troops would require enormous financial and material resources.

Even if this land were to be occupied, the cost of establishing administrative governance would be extremely high.

After careful consideration, ancient Chinese rulers concluded that Siberia, with its harsh climate and inability to support agriculture, held little strategic value for military garrisons.

The investment-to-return ratio was disproportionate.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, one minister remarked, "The Western Regions are full of sand and lack water, making agriculture difficult, and the costs are huge with little practical return."

China’s ancient governance philosophy emphasized the "Way of the King," which advocated spreading civilization through culture and education, rather than solely relying on military conquest.

Confucius’ "Way of the King" believed that governing a land was not just about military occupation, but about effective governance.

If a land could not be effectively governed, occupying it would have no real meaning.

Thus, China preferred to establish buffer states or vassal territories in frontier regions, managing borders through these systems rather than directly occupying lands far from the central authority.

Even areas bordering Siberia were only incorporated into China’s territory if they had sufficient resources and could be effectively governed.