The Legendary Floating Restaurant of Hong Kong Sinks

A shocking turn of events led to the sinking of the most iconic restaurant in the south China sea. The more than 50-year-old floating establishment, the widely popular Jumbo restaurant was among some of the prime tourist attractions of the city. However, while being towed away from its original harbour, the popular floating restaurant in Hong Kong sank.

The parent company has reported that the floating restaurant just turned over in the water while it was being taken to another location, luckily no one was injured in the incident.

Back in March of 2020, the restaurant was temporarily shut down due to the pandemic. Records suggest that over 3 million customers have visited this famous Cantonese cuisine restaurant.  Luminaries including Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, Jimmy Carter, Tom Cruise and Richard Branson, and many more big-league names have dined in this restaurant.

Jumbo was internationally renowned for being the set of some famous  movies including Bruce Lee’s superhit Enter the Dragon (1973) and James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

There was a time when this used to be the largest floating restaurant in the world. 2000 people could easily fit into this 260 ft long beauty. It is accompanied by a smaller sister restaurant boat, seafood tanks, a kitchen boat and eight ferries for transportation, the only way to reach the lavish restaurants.

The restaurant is shrouded with a royal-style façade, neon lights and vibrant Chinese-style motifs. There is even a golden throne placed in the dining hall which is the epitome of beauty and elegance in the palace.

However, the pandemic left this floating restaurant in Hong Kong under huge losses, close to $13 million. While the owners closed the restaurants till further notice, many proposals came to salvage the declining conditions of the ship. Nevertheless, the sheer number of maintenance costs drove many potential investors away.

These unfavourable conditions added with the approaching expiration dates of the operating licence compelled the owners to relocate the restaurant to an undisclosed location. However, that attempt at trying to save their dying business turned bitter very soon.