About 380 people from east China's Fujian Province left for the islands of Kinmen and Matzu on Friday as the province's first batch of individual tourists to visit Taiwan's outlying islands.

Tourists from the province's city of Fuzhou will visit Matzu, while tourists from the cities of Quanzhou and Xiamen will to visit Kinmen. All of the tourists are traveling by boat, according to local tourism authorities.

"Kinmen and Matzu used to be wartime frontlines when I was a child. Now, I will be able to have a look at the battlefield," said tourist Chen Shuijin.

Guan Qingping, a tourist from the city of Fuzhou, snapped a picture of her husband before boarding the ship that would take her to Matzu.

"This trip is very special, for today is my wedding anniversary," Guan said.

Most of the province's residents are allowed to independently visit the Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu islands, which are located near the mainland, according to the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation.

Tourists do not need to provide their financial status when submitting applications, but are restricted to stays of 15 days or less, according to an ARATS statement.

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