Seashell echoes poet's ties to China

Their visits came at a particular moment when the People's Republic of China was still in its early years, and knowledge of it among foreigners remained limited. Soto says that made it even more compelling for Chileans looking for new inspiration in a postwar world. "There was a genuine curiosity to learn about an ancient society that was relatively isolated and very difficult for foreigners to access," Soto says.

In 1954, Neruda published The Grapes and the Wind, a long work that moves through places and political causes with the voice of a committed poet. Editors and translators have noted that the poem ranges from Chile's coast to New China, using geography to imagine new nations and futures. Before long, it became a real exchange. China also embraced Neruda as a major literary figure. During his visits, he met poets such as Ai Qing (1910-96), and the two became friends. Ai Qing later traveled to Chile and joined the writers who gathered for Neruda's 50th birthday in 1954.

Li Zhen, a poetry critic and professor at Shaanxi Normal University, said that Neruda liked Ai Qing a lot and described him as "charming" and a "prince of Chinese poets".

"His trips to China, especially the deep friendship he formed with poet Ai Qing, are evidence that this rapprochement was not simply a matter of political convenience but rather a genuine human bond," said Barbara Fernandez Melleda, an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong.