Jumbo Kingdom
Coordinates: 22°14′35.5″N 114°9′43.2″E / 22.243194°N 114.162000°E
| Jumbo Kingdom | |
|---|---|
Jumbo Kingdom
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| 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 | Aberdeen |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| 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.
Contents
History[edit]
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 4-alarm fire occurred at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant before its opening which left 34 dead and 42 injured.[4][2][5][6]
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[edit]
- Topdeck: A restaurant and bar located on the topdeck of Jumbo which serves dim sum. Topdeck was opened in 2005 and is managed by Cafe Deco Group.[7]
- Dragon Court: Dragon Court is a fine dining Chinese restaurant which serves authentic and innovative Cantonese cuisine located on the first deck of Jumbo. The interior design of the restaurant is a mixture of Ming Dynasty and contemporary Chinese.
- Cooking Academy: A Chinese culinary school taught by the chefs of Jumbo Kingdom.
- Sampan Dining: Visitors can experience the nostalgic Hong Kong dining experience from a bygone era, the Typhoon Shelter seafood meal on a sampan.
- The Chinese Tea Garden
- Pier Plaza
- Bronzeware Exhibition
- Wine Garden
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.
Popular culture[edit]
- The Jumbo Floating Restaurant appears in Jackie Chan's The Protector (1985),[2] The God of Cookery (1996),[8] Godzilla vs Destroyah[9] and Infernal Affairs II.[8]
- 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, Enter the Dragon,[3] Bons baisers de Hong Kong (1975), James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), and Contagion (2011).
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[edit]
The Jumbo Kingdom can be accessed free of charge, by shuttle boat from Aberdeen Promenade or from Sham Wan pier.[10]
Gallery[edit]
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Jumbo Kingdom pier along Aberdeen Promenade
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Transport boat to the restaurant
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Distant view
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Staircase leading up to topdeck
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Interior dragon court
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Back of Jumbo Kingdom
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Jumbo Kingdom. "A Celebrated Landmark". Retrieved 2007-07-10.
- ^ a b c Hong Kong Extras: Aberdeen
- ^ a b c d e Hong Kong (& Macau) Stuff: "Tai Pak Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen"
- ^ "調查報告書指出 珍寶大火起於燒焊 此慘劇死傷達七十六人". Ta Kung Pao. 25 May 1972.(in traditional Chinese)
- ^ NFPA.org. "NFPA.org." Key dates in fire history. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Cafe Deco Group: Top Deck
- ^ a b HK Cinemagic Mapping Hong Kong film locations: Jumbo Floating Restaurant
- ^ 特撮特化 - その他まとめ海外編 (Special Effects - Overseas Scenes. In Japanese)
- ^ Welcome to 18 Districts: Southern District
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jumbo Kingdom. |
