There are more numbers: Choy, who has been monitoring the city's elections for more than 20 years, said 55 out of 431 winners, or 12.8 per cent, in this year's district council elections were aged below 30. That compares with 47 out of 412, or 11.4 per cent, in 2011, and 43 out of 405, or 10.6 per cent, in 2007.

Choy added that apart from the desire for new faces, the victory of a substantial number of young candidates suggested that many voters expected their district councillors to spend more time in their constituencies.

"Many residents want their district councillors to show up in their constituencies frequently and be reachable when they want to seek their help. Unlike the older generations, young councillors are generally more energetic and are willing to work for long hours in the neighbourhood," he said.

Some were inspired by the 79-day Occupy movement last year, although their political awakenings came in various ways.

While many are raring to go, it is unclear how many will be standing for the Legislative Council election next year. If they do, they will have a tougher battle on their hands given the larger terrain and opponents with more formidable resources.

For now, with less than a month to go before they assume office, many have big plans to rejuvenate their district councils and connect with constituents.

Neo Democrat Billy Chan Shiu-yeung, 24, said active district work and relationship building with residents would be at the top of his agenda.

"What really matters to the residents are neighbourhood issues - a refuse collection point, changing a light bulb or blood pressure checks," Chan said. "If you talk politics with them, you can only do it for a short time or they get bored."

Dominic Lee Tsz-king, a 31-year-old Liberal elected in Sham Shui Po, said: "A lot of birthday banquets were organised for the elderly in the past, but there might be more activities for the young people in the future."

The New People's Party's David Ng Ka-chiu, a 27-year-old elected in Kwai Tsing, said he would also reach out to young residents.

"District councils were regarded by people as councils of old men that organise banquets and entertainment activities. I hope to allow more residents to speak up."

Jody Kwok Fu-yung, 25

Political Affiliation: Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (since 2008)

Political hero: Jasper Tsang Yok-sing because "he inspires young members like me"

Jody Kwok Fu-yung was like any other Hong Kong teenager whose daily routine mostly revolved around school, homework and friends.

But that changed in Form Three. At 15, she joined the debate club in her secondary school in Kwai Tsing and began learning about social issues facing the city.

"I used to be rather one-sided when I judged what are the right ways of doing things, but after joining the club, the biggest change was that I started to pay attention to current affairs," Kwok said.

"I also learned to think from different angles, and understand that the views of different stakeholders need to be balanced," she told the Post.

When she first joined her schoolmates in preparing for inter-school debate contests, the Democratic Party's Sammy Tsui Sang-hung had already been district councillor in the area for more than a decade. Few, if any, would have imagined that Kwok would one day unseat the Democrat, as happened in last month's election.

On November 22, Kwok garnered 2,884 votes in the Tai Pak Tin constituency, denying Tsui, who only got 1,997 votes, of a sixth term on the Kwai Tsing district council.

Kwok, who joined the Beijing-loyalist Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong at the age of 18, was among the three young members praised by the party's chairwoman, Starry Lee Wai-king, at a press conference.

But while Tsui's defeat shocked some Democrats, Kwok echoed Lee's view that a diligent approach was the key to winning an election.

"You can only get in touch with the residents and win their trust by being hard working, and nothing is a small issue when it comes to people's livelihood," she said.

District work was also about helping residents with emergency issues such as a broken water-pipe or an electricity cut, Kowk added.

Her ascent was also helped by her party, which hired and paid her to work as a full-time community officer after she graduated from the University of Science and Technology with a marketing and management degree in 2012.

When asked if she could have got a better-paid job in marketing, she said: "Life is not just about making money.

"When we are young, we should try different things, especially meaningful endeavours that help others."

Now, with the new district councillors assuming office within a month, Kwok said her first priorities were to realise her election pledges. She will start by urging the government to improve the minibuses and routes that serve her constituency.

George Wong Hok-lai, 22

Political affiliation: Sha Tin Community Network (since 2015)

Political awakening: Joined the July 1 march with his father in 2003, when he was nine. He said he had joined every July 1 march since then but skipped this year's because of his district work.

George Wong Hok-lai, the youngest winner in the district council elections, was labelled an "umbrella soldier" as his campaign was partly inspired by the 79-day Occupy protests.

But the fourth-year Chinese University political science student had considered running in the election earlier. Wong said he regarded 'a district councillor's work as a "practical and direct" means of improving lives.

"You can see results in a relatively short time. For example, it could take a few months to fight for a new bus route, but other political work could take much longer and it might not bear fruit," he said.

"I have been paying attention to current affairs and joining social movements, but Occupy showed me traditional parties could not follow our political discourse, such as the city's political future after 2047."

Wong was referring to Beijing 50-year deadline for the "one country, two systems" formula.

Young activists such as Joshua Wong Chi-fung had been mulling a campaign to advocate "self-determination" for the city. They complained that the pan-democratic parties seemed reluctant to work with them on the issue, as well as during Occupy last year.

After the civil disobedience movement ended, George Wong took part in activities organised by Chinese University's Local Society, a pro-independence interest group, and the "umbrella" group Youngspiration.

Earlier this year, Wong joined the Sha Tin Community Network - a group formed by about 20 young residents who took part in Occupy - and started serving Tai Wai residents by giving out rice dumplings at the Tuen Ng Festival and helping elderly people to measure their blood pressure.

Wong said that as a new face in Sha Tin district council, he would forge an alliance with other independent pan-democrat councillors, such as former Democrat Chris Mak Yun-pui and former NeoDemocrat Michael Yung Ming-chau, but they had no plans to form a party.

Wong won 1,631 votes to unseat New People's Party's incumbent Tang Wing-cheong, who got 1,268 votes. The 60-year-old had served Chung Tin constituency for 16 years.