Occupy protesters in Mong Kok take to the 'shopping tour'

Traffic may have returned to the Mong Kok protest zone, but last week's clearance of the encampment has given rise to a new form of protest known as the "shopping tour", with activists taking to the crowded footpaths to convey their political message.

Participants say it is more fun and a pleasant change from camping on the tarmac, plus it is proving even more effective as a strain on police manpower.

Every night since last Friday, dozens of protesters have gathered outside a cinema on Sai Yeung Choi Street South. They watch movie trailers while chanting spontaneous slogans inspired by images on the screen. Then they roam the footpaths, obstructing commerce while evading police.

Watch: Dozens of Occupy supporters stage "shopping tour" protests in Mong Kok after site clearance

Before the "tour" starts, the air fills with cries of gau wu, a Cantonese transliteration of Putonghua's gou wu, which means "to shop". The expression became popular after a mainland tourist who joined an early anti-Occupy rally told a reporter in Putonghua that she was there to shop.

"Now it's the reverse; we are on the offensive and the cops are put on the defensive," said a semi-retired protester aged in his 50s who wished to be identified only by his surname, Ng.