An Enlightened Country: The East viewed by Voltaire in The Princess of Babylon

The eighteenth century marked the advent of a true Chinese exoticism, its growing interest in the search for universal values characterized the spirit and approach of the Enlightenment that swept France. Philosophers began to find foreign models to remedy this ailing country and in Voltaires eyes, China could be an ideal example. This study analyzes the image of China from the pen of Voltaire, mainly in The Princess of Babylon and also in his other works as a complement. It highlights Voltaires great interest in Chinese politics, culture and civilization. The return to the legendary and authentic China that Voltaire describes includes a new conception of history, a morality without religious imperatives, a harmonious vision of the state that he calls enlightened despotism.