隨著經濟轉型，⾹港的商貿⾦融於70年代開始⾼速發展。⾃由開放的⾦融政策推動⾦融業⽇益蓬勃，同時吸引不少外資機構湧⼊⾹港；偏低的關稅有助零售商投資，既促進本地零售業，亦輔助了⾹港的旅遊業，贏得「購物天堂」的美譽。
The commerce and finance industries of Hong Kong began to grow rapidly following its economic transformation of the 1970s. The city’s flexible and transparent financial policy was one of the key factors behind the boom in the finance industry, encouraging foreign corporations to invest in the Hong Kong market. Low tariffs attracted retailers from around the globe to set up their businesses in the city. This not only benefited the city’s retail industry, but also its tourism industry. This is how Hong Kong won fame as a “Shopping Paradise”.
到90年代中期，⾹港於不同⾦融範疇成績彪炳，與多個西⽅⼤城市⿑名:外匯市場的交易量位居世界第6；股票市場亦在世界名列第8；與倫敦和紐約並列世界三⼤⾦融中⼼，有「紐倫港」之稱。經濟的躍進令⽣活⽔平⼤幅度提升，1985年⾹港第⼀代流動電話「⼤哥⼤」⾯世，價值約港幣$29,000，被視為⾝份象徵。本地主要勞動⼈⼜亦由集中於⼯業界轉移⾄商界，電影及電視劇情節亦陸續出現不同寫字樓繁忙的景象。
Hong Kong made huge strides in its finance sector in the mid-1990s, putting it on a par with many western cities. It became one of the world’s top three financial centres alongside London and New York, ranked 6th in foreign exchange markets and 8th in global stock markets in terms of trading volume. This economic boom greatly enhanced the standard of living of the city’s residents. In 1985, the first generation of mobile phones, commonly termed “Big Brother”, was launched. These bulky mobile phones costing as much as HK$29,000 were regarded as a status symbol at that time. As much of the local workforce gradually shifted from industrial to commercial sectors, scenes of busy office life also started to be seen in movies and TV dramas.