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Hong Kong (CNN) -- Wednesday is National Day, a day for all Chinese to celebrate the People's Republic of China.

Rather than celebrate, though, swarms have taken to Hong Kong's streets to challenge and denounce the Beijing-based government -- and they are expected to be louder and larger in number than ever on Wednesday.

More people off work for a holiday means more could swell the protest ranks, something that's already been happening despite clashes with police, powerful thunderstorms and repeated admonitions by authorities who have refused to budge. There's a sense of urgency, too, given that organizers have set a Wednesday deadline for their demands to be met.

As the sun rose Wednesday, activists were in the streets voicing their opinions. "Protect Hong Kong," they chanted, in addition to calling for the local chief executive's resignation and for police not to use violence against them.

As CNN's Ivan Watson noted from downtown Hong Kong, little seemed to have damped demonstrators' fervor. Then again, there was also no sign that authorities are ready to give in.

"Both sides appear to be digging in their heels," Watson said.

Hong Kong protesters not backing down

When it was transferred from British to Chinese control in 1997, Hong Kong was supposed to be the centerpiece of Beijing's one nation, two systems approach.

Yet protesters fear that independence is slipping away. They decry a recent decision allowing national government leaders to vet -- in other words, decide who is in and who is out -- any candidates up for a vote to lead Hong Kong's government.

Changing that policy is demand No. 1 for the protesters, who say that having every citizen get a vote in an election is moot if the options are decided in Beijing. A growing number have also blasted Hong Kong's current leader for putting the central government ahead of his own citizens and demanded he step down.

One demonstrator, Jobie Soo, explained to CNN's Watson: "(We want the government) just to respect the democracy that Hong Kong deserves and really uphold the principle of one country, two systems."

Yet the powers-that-be don't appear to be in much of a talking mood. They have refused to budge while condemning the protests, which they say are against the law and are undermining Hong Kong's economic and security.

"China won't be swayed by illegal activities," Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung. "This illegal protest will not force the central government to go back on its decision of August 31."

Hong Kong leader: 'This is based on the basic law'

Like other chief executives, Leung wasn't elected by a popular vote but rather by a 1,200-strong committee stacked with Beijing loyalists. That was set to change in 2017.

In a way, it will.

Leung points out that "we will be able to have one-person, one-vote" -- meaning citizens, not just committee members, can cast ballots.

But as to which candidates they can choose from, the chief executive said that much has been settled and it won't change.

"I understand this universal suffrage is somewhat different to what the public thinks it would be," he said. "But this is based on the basic law. We still want to remain peaceful, calm and think what the best is for Hong Kong."

And Leung has backing from pro-Beijing groups like The Silent Majority for Hong Kong, who have had their own rallies and run advertising campaigns to preach their message that pro-democracy activists will "endanger Hong Kong" and create chaos.

Still, while the city of 7 million people is still bustling in some ways, the unrest already has had an impact on one of Asia's biggest financial centers.

ATM services were disrupted and 37 bank branches closed Tuesday, according to the Hong Kong Information Services Department. Leung said ambulances and fire trucks had to be rerouted to get around the crowds. Some 157 schools closed Tuesday.

Map: Where protests are

Leung: China will not compromise

Students: We want democracy

And the Hong Kong government canceled the city's annual National Day fireworks display because of the protests.

Officials in the city have spoken out against the protest and -- at least on Sunday -- acted out. That's when police hurled 87 tear gas canisters into the crowd after they refused to heed calls to disperse, spurring protests.

"We gave them enough of a chance to leave, and this included warnings," Assistant Police Commissioner Cheung Tak-keung said Monday, explaining the police decision. "But when they failed, we had to use force."

Such forceful sentiment aren't being heard everywhere, however.

Leaders in Beijing have been largely silent about what's happening in Hong Kong.

And at the United Nations building in New York on Tuesday, CNN's Richard Roth asked China's deputy U.N. ambassador what he thought of the protests.

Wang Min replied, "What, where? Hong Kong is part of China," and then walked away.

Activist: 'It's more or less like North Korea'

Contrast this silence to what's happening in Hong Kong.

Even as censors blocked access to Instagram after images of protests flooded the photo-sharing app and China blocked out reporting on Hong Kong in mainland China, those on the streets managed to make their voices heard in other ways. Some took to Twitter, and a few turned to CNN iReport -- including one capturinga collective of umbrellas which, besides shielding at times torrential rain, have become symbols of the protests

They are relaying the sentiments of the tens of thousands who have hit the streets. Many of them are students like lead organizer Alex Chow, who described "the current situation (as) totally out of C.Y. Leung's control."

"Actually, the government is under great pressure," he continued, "and we will demand and call for more people" to protest in the coming days.

Even if more people come out, some say it's not a fair fight -- not with police fully equipped and demonstrators armed with little more than their umbrellas. Grace Cheng, a 21-year-old recent college graduate, is worried authorities will come at them even harder next time.

"We can't really stop them," she said.

香港活動家，官員繼續僵持在週三的最後期限織機
由阿什利Fantz，葉忒羅馬倫和格雷格·博特略，美國有線電視新聞網
二○一四年九月三十日 - 更新2314 GMT（0714 HKT）
新聞提要
新：抗議者：政府應“尊重，香港應有的民主
新：香港負責人：“這一非法抗議活動不會”改變北京的思維
觀眾可以膨脹週三，國定假日; 示威者還設置了最後期限採取行動
無論是政府領導還是抗議領導人表示budging的跡象
你在嗎？分享照片，但保證安全。
香港（CNN） -週三是國慶節，每天為所有的中國，以 ​​慶祝中國人民共和國。
而不是慶祝，不過，群已為香港的街頭挑戰和譴責北京的政府 - 他們都有望成為呼聲較大的數量比以往任何時候都在週三。
更多的人過一個假期工作意味著更多的可膨脹的抗議行列，東西是已經發生的事情儘管誰也不肯讓步機關與警察，強大的雷暴和諄諄告誡衝突。有一種緊迫感，也因為主辦方設置了週三的最後期限，以滿足他們的要求。
太陽升起時，週三，活動家人表達他們的意見街頭。“維護香港，”他們高呼，除了呼籲地方行政長官的辭職和警察沒有使用暴力對付他們。
作為CNN的伊万·沃森從香港市中心指出，小似乎已經阻尼示威者的熱情。再說，另外，也沒有跡象表明當局已經準備好放棄。
“雙方似乎是在挖自己的高跟鞋，”沃森說。

從https://twitter.com/cnni/lists/hong - 香港推文
香港示威者不退縮
當它被從英國轉移到中國的控制，1997年，香港被認為是北京的一個國家的核心，兩個系統的辦法。
然而，示威者擔心，獨立性溜走。他們譴責最近決定，允許各國政府領導審核 - 換句話說，決定誰是誰出 - 任何候選人進行票決，帶領香港的政府。
改變這個政策是針對抗議者，誰說有每一個公民獲得在選舉中投票是沒有實際意義，如果選項決定在北京的需求第一。越來越多的還炮轟香港目前的領導者，把中央政府超越他自己的公民，並要求他下台。
一名示威，Jobie洙解釋CNN的沃森：“（我們希望政府）只是為了尊重香港應有的民主，真正堅持一個國家，兩種制度的原則。”
然而，當權者將不會出現在太多的說話的心情。他們拒絕，同時譴責抗議，他們認為這是違法的，並削弱香港的經濟和安全作出讓步。
“中國將不會再有非法活動所左右，”香港特區行政長官梁振英。“這一非法抗議活動不會迫使中央政府去8月31日回的決定”
香港負責人：“這是基於基本法”
像其他的首席執行官，梁不是由民眾投票，而是通過堆疊與北京的死黨一個1200人的委員會選舉產生。這是設定在2017年改變。
在某種程度上，它會的。
梁指出，“我們將能夠有一個人，一票” - 意思是公民，而不僅僅是委員會成員，可以投選票。
但作為候選人，他們可以選擇，行政長官表示，許多人已解決，它不會改變。
“據我了解，普選是什麼公眾認為這將是有所不同的，”他說。“但是，這是基於基本規律，我們仍然要保持平和，冷靜，思考什麼是最好的是香港。”
及梁從親北京的團體，如備份是沉默的大多數，香港，誰也有自己的集會和運行廣告宣傳活動，以宣揚他們的消息，民運人士將“危及香港”，並製造混亂。
不過，儘管全市700萬人民依然熙熙攘攘，在某些方面，動亂已經擁有了亞洲最大的金融中心之一的影響。
自動櫃員機服務停頓37銀行分行週二收盤，根據香港政府新聞處。梁先生說，救護車和消防車不得不改道避開人潮。有些學校157週二收盤。
圖：在哪裡抗議圖：在哪裡抗議
梁：中國不會妥協 學生：我們要民主
此外，香港政府取消，因為抗議的全市每年國慶日煙花匯演。
在城市的官員公開反對和抗議 - 至少在週日 - 表演出來。這時候警察投擲87催淚彈向人群後，他們拒絕聽從調用分散，刺激的抗議。
“我們給了他們足夠的機會離開了，這包括警告，”助理警務處長張德強週一表示，解釋警方的決定。“但是，當他們失敗了，我們不得不使用武力。”
這種有力的情緒不被不絕於耳，但是。
在北京的領導人一直保持沉默發生的事情在香港。
並在聯合國大廈在紐約週二，CNN的理查德·羅斯要求中國副常駐聯合國代表什麼，他想到了抗議活動。
王珉說：“什麼，在哪裡？香港是中國的一部分”，然後就走開了。
維權：“這或多或少是朝鮮
對比這沉默中所發生的事情在香港。
即使檢查員禁止訪問Instagram的抗議後的圖片淹沒了照片共享應用程序和中國封鎖了在中國大陸，香港報導，那些管理上街頭，讓聽到在其他方面他們的聲音。有的走上微博，和一些轉向CNN iReport的-其中包括捕獲雨傘集體的，除了屏蔽有時暴雨，已成為抗議活動的象徵
他們轉述了成千上萬誰曾上街遊行的情緒。他們中許多人都是學生，如鉛組織者亞歷週，誰形容「目前的情況（如）完全是出於梁振英的控制。“
“其實，政府承受著巨大的壓力，”他繼續說，“我們將要求，並呼籲更多的人”，在未來的日子裡，抗議。
即使更多的人站出來，有人說這不是一場公平的競爭 - 不與警察設施齊全，示威者手持比雨傘更小。鄭嬋琦，21歲剛畢業的大學生，擔心當局會更難下次再來他們。
“我們真的不能阻止他們，”她說。