Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader has called on the region's residents to act like sheep in the wake of the pro-democracy protests last year.

Leung Chun-ying (CY), the chief executive of the region's executive council, made his statement on the eve of the Chinese Year of the Sheep.

It followed a year in which rallies protesting against interference by mainland China in Hong Kong affairs drew hundreds of thousands on to the streets.

Some of Mr Leung's critics have previously nicknamed him the 'wolf', both because his name sounds like the Chinese word for wolf - lang - and because he is regarded as devious and cunning.

A message on the chief executive's website appears to have missed the irony when it was posted on Wednesday.

It said: "It is time to bid farewell to the Year of the Horse and welcome the Year of the Sheep. Sheep are widely seen to be mild and gentle animals living peacefully in groups.

"Last year was no easy ride for Hong Kong. Our society was rife with differences and conflicts. In the coming year, I hope that all people in Hong Kong will take inspiration from the sheep's character and pull together in an accommodating manner to work for Hong Kong's future."

The statement was accompanied by a video which showed scenes of Mr Leung and his family engaged in tasks like gardening, feeding some goats and making a collage of a sheep's face.

Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing told the South China Morning Post: "I don't think [the chief executive] is saying we should follow like sheep. I think he refers to the virtues of sheep.

"[But] then he himself is doing exactly the opposite to provoke so much confrontation and he is tearing the society apart. It's very contradictory and duplicitous."

Protests

Hong Kong's protests erupted because of fears the original system of government set up after Britain's withdrawal in 1997 was being eroded.

Under the agreement, China pledged to govern Hong Kong under a principle of "one country, two systems" giving the territory "a high degree of autonomy".

It has its own legal system and the agreement protected the freedom of assembly and expression.

Many of those who took to the streets last year complained that freedom of speech and the freedom of the press were at risk and there had been an increase in the influence exerted by Beijing since Mr Leung came to power in 2012.

There were also concerns about the election of the next chief executive in 2017 with claims that Beijing was demanding a veto on candidates.