He listened to Yamagata's music on the internet and one of his favorite works is her song Heavyweight.

"We are singer-songwriters in our own rights. The song allows us to share emotions and hopefully we could sing the song together when Yamagata returns to China next year," adds Guo.

Born to a Japanese father and an Italian-German mother, Yamagata began her musical career as the vocalist for Chicago-based band Bumpus before pursuing a solo career in 2002. She presently lives in Woodstock and records her songs in her house, which is surrounded by trees.

Yamagata says that she has been interested in the country ever since she started touring China three years ago. She finds traditional Chinese music to be especially "romantic, expressive and spiritual".

"The tones and beauty of instruments like erhu and pipa are quite magical to me," she says, before adding that she plans to return to China with a full band next year.

"With my shows, I want to create a sense of being a guest at a party I'm throwing at my house - one that is full of the sharing of secrets, laughter and connection."