Bird-eye photo of Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Hong Kong 14 June 2022 / Straits Times
The Jumbo floating restaurant is a popular tourist attraction in Hong Kong, but it closed in March 2020. On Sunday, the ship sank in the South China Sea while being towed from the city. No one was hurt, but it was hard to save this floating restaurant.
The restaurant departed and pulled out of the city last Tuesday from southern Hong Kong Island, where it has been sitting for nearly half a century.
Video of the Jumbo floating restaurant being pulled from the city.
The History Behind
Opened in 1976 by the late casino tycoon Stanley Ho, this floating Jumbo restaurant in Hong Kong embodies luxury in its heyday, reportedly costing more than HK$30 million to build.
Designed like a Chinese imperial palace and once considered a must-see landmark, this restaurant attracts diners from Queen Elizabeth II to Tom Cruise.
Jumbo floating restaurant entrance gate / Straits Times
Many of the city's residents greeted Jumbo's departure from Hong Kong with guilt and nostalgia. Several online commentators have described the image of a floating palace cruising across a charcoal gray sea towards the horizon as a metaphor for Hong Kong's future.
