Locals gathered alongside the waterfront to present the floating restaurant its last farewell.
Measuring about 260 toes lengthy, the colossal three-story Jumbo Floating Restaurant was well-known for its gigantic inexperienced and crimson neon signal studying “foon ying gwong lam,” Chinese language for “welcome.” In its heyday, it was a part of the biggest floating restaurant on this planet.
For practically half a century, it was the principle boat of Jumbo Kingdom, which additionally included the older and smaller sister restaurant boat Tai Pak (relationship again to 1952), a barge for seafood tanks, a 130-foot-long kitchen boat and eight small ferries to move guests from two close by piers.
In recent times, Jumbo Floating Restaurant was the one one of many group that was operational and open to diners.
“Jumbo Floating Restaurant has left Hong Kong in the present day,” Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Restricted, the corporate that owns and operates Jumbo Kingdom, confirmed in a press release launched after the towing was accomplished.
“A novel icon for residents and vacationers alike, Jumbo Floating Restaurant has stood proud within the Southern District of Hong Kong Island for the previous 46 years. All through this journey, it has been an incredible honor for us to share lovely collective reminiscences with native and overseas guests.
“We sincerely thanks all on your love and care. We take this chance to ship you our greatest needs for a brighter future,” the assertion stated.
Remembering an icon
It was a much-loved neighbor of CNN’s Hong Kong workplace. On a sunny day, Jumbo Kingdom had been a favourite topic to {photograph} from the workplace’s home windows.
The restaurant definitely appeared worn down, in comparison with its wonderful days, however nonetheless exuded a glamorous old-world allure.
The method to the floating restaurant — solely accessible by way of a particular Jumbo-branded boat — was some of the dramatic restaurant entrances on this planet.
Upon arrival, you’d see the lavish Imperial-style façade with reliefs protecting all the wall, large commissioned work within the stairwell and loads of colourful Chinese language-style motifs together with a golden throne within the eating corridor.
A younger Kenny Chan poses at Jumbo within the Nineteen Nineties.
Courtesy Seayou Explorer Journey Restricted
Chan’s mother and father have been one of many fishing village households residing in Aberdeen Storm Shelter. His spouse additionally grew up on a ship.
“I can nonetheless recall how excited I used to be, as a child, each time I had the prospect to hop on a sampan and go to Jumbo. The experience wasn’t simply transportation — it made us really feel like we have been visiting a palace. There is no different place in Hong Kong that would ship the identical feeling.”
These fond reminiscences of his childhood on the Aberdeen fishing village within the harbor impressed him to discovered Seayou in 2018. The corporate affords personal constitution companies in addition to a sampan cultural tour referred to as Aberdeen 1773 Cultural Tour that included a cease on the Jumbo Kingdom earlier than its departure.
“The cultural, symbolic and tourism worth of Jumbo is critical and cannot be quantified… We do perceive that sustaining Jumbo could also be difficult. We’re simply downhearted to see the federal government jeopardizing its personal plan [to invigorate the neighborhood] set in 2020 and their resolution to ‘not intervene’ [in Jumbo’s fate],” says Chan.
Members of the Chan household attend a marriage banquet at Jumbo within the 2010s.
Courtesy Seayou Explorer Journey Restricted
A floating marvel
In its golden days, the restaurant vessel starred in lots of native and worldwide motion pictures together with “Enter the Dragon” (starring Bruce Lee in entrance of Tai Pak), “Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Problem” and Stephen Chow’s comedy “God of Cookery.”
It was a “should” cease for visiting celebrities together with Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip, Jimmy Carter, Chow Yun Fats, Elizabeth Taylor and Tom Cruise.
“Some dismissed its architectural significance because it was solely a ‘fake’ imperial design however I disagree — it is an attention-grabbing try [at] reworking a floating house [into] an historical Chinese language palace. If we take a look at the historic context, it was constructed at a time when this imperial-style Chinese language aesthetic wasn’t even inspired in China (“Previous Issues” have been to be eliminated in the course of the Cultural Revolution). So Jumbo Kingdom mirrored how Chinese language in Hong Kong then had a larger craving or ardour for these outdated Chinese language traditions.”
A view of the restaurant at evening, lit up by its well-known neon lights.
courtesy of Jumbo Kingdom
The tip of an period
In fact, its golden age did not final.
Because the fishing inhabitants at Aberdeen Harbour dwindled, Jumbo Kingdom has develop into much less common amongst locals and vacationers.
In March 2020, the restaurant’s homeowners stated that they’d gathered a lack of over HKD100 million ($13 million) and introduced that the restaurant can be closed till additional discover.
A number of proposals had been put ahead to avoid wasting the historic icon, however its excessive upkeep price had deterred potential traders.
Hong Kong’s authorities did not appear to be desirous to get entangled, both.
The Antiquities Advisory Board dominated that ships — in contrast to buildings on land — weren’t part of the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, that means Jumbo wasn’t eligible for metropolis safety.
And not using a “white knight” rescuer that the town had been ready for, the group determined to maneuver the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, the principle boat, to an undisclosed shipyard away from Hong Kong earlier than its working license expires this June.
Tai Pak, the smaller and older boat, in addition to the not too long ago capsized kitchen boat, are at the moment nonetheless parked on the harbor. Nothing has been confirmed about the way forward for these boats thus far.
It doesn’t matter what occurs subsequent, Hong Kong has misplaced one of many largest — and shiniest — jewels in its crown.
