At about 260 feet, the colossal three-story Jumbo Floating Restaurant was famous for its giant green and red neon sign that read “foon ying gwong lam” in Chinese for “welcome”. At its peak, it was part of the largest floating restaurant in the world. For almost half a century, it was the main vessel of the Jumbo Kingdom, which also included the largest and smallest sister restaurant of the Tai Pak restaurant (dating from 1952), a barge for seafood tanks, a 130-foot-long kitchen vessel and eight small ferries to transport visitors from two nearby piers. In recent years, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant was the only one of the group to operate and was open for dining. “Jumbo Floating Restaurant has left Hong Kong today,” Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Limited, the company that owns and operates Jumbo Kingdom, confirmed in a statement released after the towing was completed. A unique symbol for both locals and tourists alike, Jumbo Floating Restaurant has stood proudly in the southern part of Hong Kong Island for the past 46 years. Throughout this trip, it has been a great honor for us to share beautiful collective memories with locals and foreign visitors. “We sincerely thank you for your love and care. We take this opportunity to send you our best wishes for a better future,” the statement said.
Remember an icon
CNN Travel visited the restaurant in 2018 – videotaping the seafood barge, the restaurant’s main boat and the beautiful, rare floor of the venue, as well as talking to one of its longest-serving staff. He was a very dear neighbor of the CNN office in Hong Kong. On a sunny day, Jumbo Kingdom was a favorite subject for office window photography. The restaurant certainly looked worn out, compared to its glorious days, but it still exuded a glamorous charm of the old world. The approach to the floating restaurant – accessible only by a special Jumbo boat – was one of the most dramatic restaurant entrances in the world. Upon arrival, you will see the luxurious imperial-style façade with reliefs covering the entire wall, huge staircase paintings and many colorful Chinese-style motifs, including a gold throne in the dining room. It was covered in neon lights, a local Hong Kong boat that has begun to disappear as the city modernizes. A young Kenny Chan poses in Jumbo in the 1990s. Courtesy of Seayou Explorer Travel Limited “Jumbo was the designated dim sum place for us. Jumbo also made more sense as my parents and I had our wedding banquets there. to host a wedding banquet at Jumbo, ”says Kenny Chan, founder of Seayou Explorer Travel Limited. Chan’s parents were one of the fishing village families living in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter shelter. His wife also grew up in a boat. “I can still remember how excited I was as a child whenever I had the opportunity to go up to a champagne and visit the Jumbo. The route was not just a metaphor – it made us feel like we were visiting a palace. There is no other place in Hong Kong. Kong that could offer the same feeling. “ These fond childhood memories of Aberdeen fishing village in the harbor inspired him to establish Seayou in 2018. The company offers private charter services as well as a sampan cultural tour called the Aberdeen 1773 Cultural Tour which included a stop at the Jumbo Kingdom . “The cultural, symbolic and tourist value of Jumbo is significant and cannot be quantified … We understand that maintaining Jumbo can be a challenge. We’re just disappointed to see the government jeopardizing its own plan. [to invigorate the neighborhood] held in 2020 and their decision “not to intervene” [in Jumbo’s fate]”, Says Chan. Members of the Chan family attend a wedding banquet at Jumbo in the 2010s. Courtesy of Seayou Explorer Travel Limited
A floating miracle
In its heyday, the restaurant ship starred in many local and international films, including “Enter the Dragon” (starring Bruce Lee in front of Tai Pak), “Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge” and his comedy Stephen Chow «God of Cookery». ” It was a “necessary” stop for celebrities to visit, such as Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip, Jimmy Carter, Chow Yoon Fat, Elizabeth Taylor and Tom Cruise. “A restaurant of this size in a floating structure is quite unique in the world. It reflects Hong Kong’s close relationship and history with the sea,” said Charles Lai, architect and founder of Hong Kong Architectural History. “Some rejected its architectural significance as it was just a ‘fake’ imperial design, but I disagree – it’s an interesting endeavor. [at] transforming a floating space [into] an ancient Chinese palace. If we look at the historical context, it was built at a time when this Chinese aesthetic of imperial style was not even encouraged in China (the “Old Things” were to be removed during the Cultural Revolution). “So the Jumbo Kingdom reflected how the Chinese in Hong Kong at the time had a greater longing or passion for these old Chinese traditions.” View of the restaurant at night, illuminated by the famous neon lights. courtesy of Jumbo Kingdom
The end of an era
Of course, his golden age did not last. As the fishing population in Aberdeen Harbor dwindles, the Jumbo Kingdom has become less popular with locals and tourists alike. The company revealed that the restaurant has been in deficit since 2013. The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent city lockdown dealt the final blow. In March 2020, the restaurant owners said they had accumulated a loss of more than HKD 100 million ($ 13 million) and announced that the restaurant would be closed until further notice. Several proposals had been made to save the historical image, but its high maintenance costs had discouraged potential investors. Nor did the Hong Kong government seem willing to get involved. The Antiquities Advisory Committee ruled that ships – unlike onshore buildings – were not part of the Antiquities and Monuments Decree, which meant that the Jumbo was not eligible to protect the city. Without a “white knight” rescuer waiting for the city, the team decided to move the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, the main boat, to an unknown shipyard away from Hong Kong before its license expired in June. The Tai Pak, the smallest and oldest vessel, as well as the recently overturned kitchen vessel, are still parked in port. Nothing has been confirmed about the future of these boats so far. No matter what happens next, Hong Kong has lost one of the largest – and brightest – jewels in its crown.
