Thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists used torches, lanterns and laser pens to light up some of the city's best-known hillsides on Friday night in an eye-catching protest on Friday evening which marked the start of the mid-autumn festival.

Throughout the evening, thousands of activists with torches on their heads hiked up hill trails leading to the top of Lion Rock, which overlooks the sprawling skyscrapers of the city's Kowloon district, one of the most densely populated places on earth.