A flight carrying the eight Chinese citizens who had been kidnapped in Iraq arrived in the international airport of Fuzhou in southeastern China at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday.

The eight people looked in good physical condition. They will go back directly to their hometown,Pingtan County in Fujian Province, to reunite with their families, an official with local government said.

The eight men, aged between 18 and 40, were kidnapped in mid-January en route to Jordan by gunmen identifying themselves as the Islamic Resistance Movement.

The Chinese government called for an immediate release of the hostages and the Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, and other leaders expressed concern over the their security.

A special working group set up to coordinate the rescue efforts arrived in Baghdad last Sunday. The hostages were handed over to China the same day, reportedly at a mosque in the western city of Ramadi.