What began as a few hundred protesters swelled by the end of the day to the tens of thousands.
Anger and resentment can be seen on these faces, while elsewhere in Hong Kong, official celebrations put on a show of revelry.
Sunday marked the 15-year anniversary of the British handover of Hong Kong to Chinese hands. The new Hong Kong Chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, was sworn in on Sunday morning by Chinese leader Hu Jintao. Many fear Leung's close ties with the Chinese Communist Party, and worry that he has Beijing's best interests in mind rather than Hong Kong's.
[Tom Grundy, Activist]:
"They've pushed back democracy - 2007, 2012, and now they're talking about 2017, 2020. So, you know, C.Y. Leung, just like Tung Chee-hwa in 2003 can't rule without the approval of the people. So I think you see a big turn out for those reasons today."
These crowds gave the thumbs down to Leung. In Cantonese, they shouted, "Leung Chun-ying, out of office!"
Others handed out the old flag of British colonial Hong Kong.
Hong Kong enjoys greater freedoms than in Mainland China. But many see a growing presence by the Chinese regime in Hong Kong, and the government's declining regard for the interest of Hong Kong people. For many, these fears were summed up by images of Hu Jintao at a military parade in Hong Kong on Friday, as thousands of China's People Liberation Army soldiers, backed by tanks, saluted their leader.
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