Peking Opera actor Wu Rujun, who lives in Japan and is married to a Japanese woman, said differences between the two countries were an opportunity for cultural exchange.

"For me, countries' boundaries don't exist in art," the 44-year-old said.

The art forms should be popularised in each others' countries, he said.

"Japanese people know Peking Opera is China's national treasure, but most of them still don't know much about it."

Wu said he tweaks his performance to try to appeal to a broader audience in Japan, and that he has learned from Japanese culture, which has influenced his work.

Ties between the Northeast Asian neighbours have been strained over a series of issues ranging from boundary disputes to Japan's wartime aggression, but relations have been steadily warming since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took power last year.