Jumbo Kingdom

Coordinates: 22°14′35.5″N 114°9′43.2″E / 22.243194°N 114.162000°E / 22.243194; 114.162000

Jumbo Kingdom

Jumbo Kingdom
Restaurant information
Established October 1976
Current owner(s) Stanley Ho
Food type Cantonese, dim sum, Western
Street address Shum Wan Pier Drive, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
City Hong Kong
Country China
Website Official site

Jumbo Kingdom (Chinese: 珍寶王國; literally: "Treasure Kingdom") consists of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant (珍寶海鮮舫) and the adjacent Tai Pak Floating Restaurant (太白海鮮舫), renowned tourist attractions in Aberdeen South Typhoon Shelter, within Hong Kong's Aberdeen Harbour. Over 30 million visitors have visited Jumbo Kingdom, including Queen Elizabeth II, John Wayne, Chad Garvin, David Bowie, Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chow Yun Fat, Stephen Chow and Gong Li.[1] There was also a Jumbo Kingdom Manila in Manila Bay, Philippines, but it was closed after 8 years of operation. Jumbo Kingdom is part of Melco International Development Limited, a company listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

History

Floating restaurants appeared in the typhoon shelter shortly after World War II. The Sea Palace Floating Restaurant (海角皇宮) was sold and towed to Australia.[2]

The Tai Pak Floating Restaurant was established in 1952.[3]

On 30 October 1971,[3] a fire occurred at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant before its opening.[2] Up to 34 workers were killed.[4][5]

The Jumbo Kingdom was established in October 1976 by Dr. Stanley Ho after four years and over HK$30 million were spent to design and build it.[1] It was originally decorated in the style of an ancient Chinese imperial palace.

In 2000, two tugboats brought one of the floating barges (Palace) from the Aberdeen Harbour to the mouth of Manila Bay, and it was rebranded as the "Jumbo Kingdom Manila". Much of the original ancient Chinese imperial palace style renovation was retained. The Manila restaurant closed in 2008.

The Jumbo Kingdom went through a major multimillion-dollar renovation in 2003, which transformed it into a theme park on the sea including dining, shopping, sightseeing and cultural attractions.

Attractions

A traditional Hong Kong-style food area is allocated at 4/F of Jumbo Kingdom, named SO-Kee Coffee Shop (蘇記茶檔). Fast foods such as sandwiches, hotdogs, noodles, soft drinks, coffee & tea are provided, at lower prices.

It is shown in The Amazing Race 17, Leg 10. It has also featured on the first season of the Australian version of The Amazing Race and some openings of The Amazing Race Asia.

The British miniseries Noble House shows the compound being destroyed by a fire.

The video game Sleeping Dogs features a mission set in a floating restaurant based on the Jumbo Floating Restaurant in a semi-fictionalized version of Hong Kong.

Access

The Jumbo Kingdom can be accessed free of charge, by shuttle boat from Aberdeen Promenade or from Sham Wan pier.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Jumbo Kingdom. "A Celebrated Landmark". Retrieved 2007-07-10.
  2. 1 2 3 Hong Kong Extras: Aberdeen
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hong Kong (& Macau) Stuff: "Tai Pak Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen"
  4. ↑ NFPA.org. "NFPA.org." Key dates in fire history. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  5. ↑ England, Vaudine (1998). The Quest of Noel Croucher: Hong Kong's Quiet Philanthropist. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-962-209-473-4.
  6. ↑ Cafe Deco Group: Top Deck
  7. 1 2 HK Cinemagic Mapping Hong Kong film locations: Jumbo Floating Restaurant
  8. ↑ 特撮特化 - その他まとめ海外編 (Special Effects - Overseas Scenes. In Japanese)
  9. ↑ Welcome to 18 Districts: Southern District
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