The Hong Kong protests in 2014 were sparked by Chinese interference in Hong Kong's elections. Over 150,000 protesters gathered in Hong Kong's Admiralty, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, and Tsim Sha Tsui districts starting in late September 2014 over several months to protest Beijing's selection of executive chiefs rather than a democratic election. The protests aimed to defend Hong Kong's autonomy and democratic freedoms against perceived encroachment by the Chinese government. After the protests, Hong Kong maintained its "one country, two systems" framework but without interference from other countries in its leadership elections.