Farm products grown without pesticides or low doses of them there such as rice and black rice, and related products like rice wine, are welcomed by a growing market.

"Birds have wings, borders are not barriers," said Haruo Sato, the book's central character and one who devoted most of his lifetime to protecting crested ibises.

China and Japan have worked together to protect the species since 1985, and China has sent crested ibises to Japan and South Korea.

The protection of transboundary species requires people to put aside their conflicts and pursue a common goal, He said.

Zhuang Miaomiao of Xi'an, a Chinese-Japanese interpreter and a promoter of the protection work for eight years, says she has been moved by the meticulous work of Japanese experts who pitched in without reserve to help their Chinese counterparts.