John Hanzhang Ye

Opinion | Jumbo Floating Restaurant saga another sign of Hong Kong’s inability to preserve its contemporary history

The departure of the restaurant would be a sad continuation of the trend of post-World-War-II local history disappearing – leaving gaps in the city’s historical landscape

This is not just about business – it concerns an outdated antiquities assessment process, preserving Hong Kong’s collective memory and establishing the future of tourism in the city

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The iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen could leave Hong Kong in weeks as its operator has warned that being closed for two years because of the pandemic has racked up large, unsustainable bills. Photo: Sam Tsang

John Hanzhang Ye

Published: 6:45am, 10 Jun 2022Updated: 5:48pm, 15 Jun 2022

Recent days have seen Hong Kong suffer another blow, with the Jumbo Floating Restaurant – a long-standing icon of the city – set to leave in weeks amid mounting losses during the pandemic. Social media has been filled with discussion about the potential loss and discontent over the government’s lack of action.

This is just the latest example of Hong Kong’s inability to preserve its contemporary history. Another case in point is the General Post Office building in Central, which opened in 1976. In 2019, the government announced plans to demolish it, sparking a series of discussions on preserving buildings built since the 1970s.

Contemporary buildings rarely get sufficient attention when facing the wrecking ball; in most cases, they are too recent for the government and public to fully appreciate their historical value.

In the case of the General Post Office building, groups requested that the Antiquities Advisory Board carry out grading assessments. This was rejected on the basis of a 2013 ruling not to carry out such assessments on buildings built from 1970. It appears the government has no intention of reviewing that decision.

The case of Jumbo Kingdom – consisting of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant and the adjacent Tai Pak Floating Restaurant – is more complicated. While iconic enough to be a symbol of the city, it is still private property and the government rarely intervenes in decisions involving private property.

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Why Hong Kong's Jumbo Floating Restaurant could leave the city in a few weeks

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has rejected the idea of injecting money to keep the restaurant alive, saying the government could do nothing if stakeholders could not reach an agreement. Instead of seeing this as a chance to save a Hong Kong cultural icon, the government sees it purely as a business decision.