Bertram Lenox Simpson, known by his pen name B. L. Putnam Weale, was a British author and journalist whose writings focused extensively on the political and social conditions of China during a period of great upheaval. Born in Ningbo, China, in 1877 to Clare Lenox-Simpson, a member of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, he was deeply influenced by his early exposure to Chinese culture and colonial interactions. His upbringing in this unique environment shaped his lifelong interest in the complex relationship between China and the West. Simpson's career included both administrative and literary pursuits, through which he sought to interpret Chinese affairs for Western audiences with a critical and often controversial perspective. He had two siblings, Evelyn, a mining engineer, and Esme. His works often combined reportage, political commentary, and historical insight, providing a Western lens on the transformations unfolding in China during the early twentieth century. He died in China in 1930 at the age of 53, leaving behind a significant body of work documenting one of the most transformative periods in Chinese history.