| Jumbo Kingdom | |
|---|---|
Jumbo Kingdom |
|
| Restaurant information | |
| Slogan | A Must-Go Attraction |
| 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) 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, Tom Cruise, Chow Yun-fat and Gong Li.[1] There was also a Jumbo Kingdom Manila in Manila Bay, Philippines, but 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.
Contents |
Floating restaurants appeared in the typhoon shelter shortly after World War II. The Sea Palace Floating Restaurant 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 the Manila Bay, and was rebranded as the "Jumbo Kingdom Manila". Much of the original ancient Chinese imperial palace style renovation has been retained.
The Jumbo Kingdom went through a major multi-million dollar renovation in 2003, which transformed it into a theme park on the sea including dining, shopping, sightseeing and cultural attractions.
The Jumbo Floating Restaurant appears in Jackie Chan's The Protector (1985),[2] The God of Cookery (1996)[7] and Infernal Affairs II.[7] The Tai Pak Floating Restaurant was featured in the 1955 Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing[3] and the 1973 Enter the Dragon.[3] The Sea Palace, another floating restaurant located in the same area, was featured in the 1960 The World of Suzie Wong and in Enter the Dragon.[3]
The Jumbo Kingdom can be accessed free of charge, by shuttle boat from Aberdeen Promenade or from Sham Wan pier.[8]