Last week, St Martin’s Press sent me an advance copy of Paul French’s newest book “Her Lotus Year: China, The Roaring Twenties and The Making of Wallis Simpson, which I have been dying to read ever since publication was first announced. The book, which will be released on November 12, 2024 examines Wallis Simpson’s long misrepresented year in China in 1924 following her separation from her first husband, Earl Winfield Spencer. At the time of the abdication crisis in 1936 and even beforehand while Edward VIII was still Prince of Wales, certain establishment figures sought to use what Wallis later as Duchess of Windsor would refer to as her “lotus year”, against her. At the time it was looked upon with shock and disapproval for a single woman to travel alone to the Far East and those in power who disapproved of the relationship between the future King and an American woman already once divorced and at the time in the process of obtaining a second one, tried to tarnish her reputation and paint her as an immoral woman. Rumors of the so-called “China Dossier” started circulating around this time, and although no one is said to have ever physically seen this document (which supposedly depicted Wallis as the “adventuress" Queen Mary believed her to be), the very idea of it’s existence took hold and fueled endless gossip and innuendo in society and eventually the public domain. These rumors, particularly that as Mrs Spencer, Wallis learned sexual techniques in Chinese brothels that helped her ensnare the King, rather unfairly continue to feature in portrayals of the Duchess of Windsor to this day.
Long before Wallis met the future Edward VIII, she was Mrs Spencer, a former debutante from Baltimore stuck in an abusive marriage with the alcoholic Win Spencer, a US Naval aviator. In 1924, after a period of separation, Win wrote to Wallis begging her to give their marriage one more try, assuring her that he had given up alcohol. Wallis, who hoped to save her marriage and avoid the shame of divorce, of which her family strongly disapproved, decided to join her husband in Hong Kong where he was stationed. It was only her second time traveling abroad and while she had previously spent time in diplomatic circles in Washington, Wallis was not yet the worldly woman she was to become. While the marriage didn’t last (the couple separated not long after their reunion, and their divorce was finalized in 1927), the independent Wallis decided to stay on in the Far East (French makes compelling arguments as to the reason why), although not without risk. China was in the midst of political turmoil following the overthrow of the Qing dynasty, overrun with warlords and bandits fighting for power. Against this backdrop, Wallis was to embark on a journey from Hong Kong to Jazz-Age Shanghai, where she spent several weeks taking in it’s thriving arts scene and popular race club, on to old Peking (Beijing) with it’s bustling international quarter, where she hoped to obtain a divorce from Win. One evening at the glamorous Grand Hotel de Pekin, Wallis bumped into an old friend, Katherine Rogers, with her new husband Herman, a wealthy graduate from Yale and MIT who was struggling in his efforts to write a book about China. They immediately invited her to be their guest. She went on to spend the next 6 months with the couple who became lifelong friends and who would give her refuge during the worst of the Abdication Crisis.
Far from engaging in the sordid activities she was later accused of, Wallis immersed herself in the culture of China during her stay with the Rogerses. Early mornings were spent riding ponies on the ancient Tartar wall, taking in views of the enchanting Forbidden City while Herman discoursed on Chinese mythology, culture and history. Afternoons would often be spent visiting the vibrant market streets, such as Jade Street, Embroidery Street and Lantern Street. It was during this time that her love of Chinoiserie and jade, which she would collect and which regularly adorned her rooms as Duchess of Windsor, began to take root. On summer weekends, Wallis would join the Rogerses on excursions to their dreamy Temple retreat in the Western Hills. She even attempted to learn the language, taking private lessons in the Rogerses luxurious Shih-Chia Hutong courtyard, although the attempt was short-lived and unsuccessful. Rather than being a sinful period, it was a year of adventure, enlightenment and social refinement. Her exquisite taste was greatly influenced by her lotus year.
Paul French is the first author to take a closer look at this brief but formative period in Wallis Simpson’s life, distinguishing fact from fiction in a captivating way. French is a renowned historian who has written extensively about China in the early 20th century, particularly the interwar period in which Wallis’s sojourn took place. His book is meticulously researched, taking readers back in time to a long vanished world and bringing to life the many personalities and events that not only shaped Wallis’s year abroad but also helped mould the character and style of the woman who would become the Duchess of Windsor.
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