William Cheung looks like your average 62-year-old Hong Kong retiree, but he's also part of the pushback that China's Government hopes will bring the Hong Kong protests to an end.

Mr Cheung belongs to what Beijing says is the "silent majority" in the semi-autonomous city, who are increasingly appalled at the vandalism and violence of recent months.

"It's sickening, it's worrisome. People really feel bad that society is so split," said Mr Cheung while attending a pro-China rally in a shopping centre at Kowloon Bay, north of the city.

Critics of the pro-Government rallies have said some attendees are bussed in. ( ABC News: Steve Wang )

Hundreds of mainly middle-aged demonstrators turned out waving Chinese flags, singing the national anthem and cheering on riot police.

They jeered counter-protesters, or "rioters" as they call them, and loudly cheered when several were chased down and taken away in handcuffs, after fist fights broke out between members of opposing camps.

"We call them cockroaches because they're despised by many of us here in Hong Kong.

"They are not making any contribution, they are destroying public utilities", said Mr Cheung.

Over the three months of protests, the demonstrators opposing a now-scrapped extradition plan for mainland China and pushing for more police scrutiny have brought out the largest crowds for rallies, sometimes in excess of a million people.

But pro-police rallies, which often include patriotic supporters of the Chinese Government, have at their peak mobilised tens of thousands — though organisers say they are much larger.

Critics of the pro-Government rallies say some attendees are bussed in from across the border in mainland China, something Mr Cheung concedes is possible judging from peoples' accents.

But in recent weeks, pro-China groups of local citizens have become more vocal — scaling a prominent lookout to wave the flag, and organising national anthem singalongs to respond to protesters who popularised a new anthem for Hong Kong.

"The news young people get from the media or their peers is biased," said Leo Chong, a surgeon who attended one of the rallies to support police.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 42 seconds 42 s Hong Kong police use water cannon on protesters

"Look at [popular media outlet] Apple Daily, it really is a spy paper, everything about China is negative," he said.

Others blame Hong Kong's education curriculum, saying it doesn't teach the younger generation enough about Chinese history, British colonialism or the achievements of the Communist Party, which are glorified in the mainland through a separate patriotic education curriculum.

"I think a lot of young people in Hong Kong misunderstand what's going on", said Mark Tam, a retired superintendent who now does business in the mainland.

"People say they don't support the judicial system in China but at least it's far better than in the past," he said.

'There are a lot of people supporting the country'

It's common to hear about generational gaps within families over the protests.

While the peaceful marches against China bring out a diverse cross-section of Hong Kong society, the vandalism and violent clashes with police tend to be carried out by younger "frontliners".

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 34 seconds 1 m 34 s Pro and anti-China groups clash in Hong Kong shopping centre

Though the pro-China rallies can't compete for numbers on the streets, they do have a powerful supporter — China's Government.

During recent media conferences from the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office, officials in Beijing praised an older man who swatted away a flyer from a protester at the city's airport.

They also highlighted a resident seen in a viral video arguing with protesters as they tried to disrupt trains.

With no easy options to bring the protests to an end, Beijing has appealed for "all those who care about Hong Kong's future [to] step up firmly to stop the violence and restore order".

It's a call Mr Cheung is happy to answer.

He rejects protester concerns about the Communist Party's authoritarian political system, and maintains optimism despite the unrest.

"We just want people to know there are a lot of people here supporting the country, supporting the Hong Kong Government and supporting the police," he said.