Cecilia Cheung's "Wish Upon a Star" filming location ⛪ Bethany Convent

Bethanie was built by the French Foreign Mission Society in 1875 and boasts a 150-year history. It was the Society's first sanatorium in East Asia, providing a place for missionaries suffering from tropical diseases to recuperate before returning to their respective missions. From its construction until its closure in 1974, Bethanie hosted approximately 6,000 missionaries over nearly 100 years, making it a key location for the French Catholic Church's missionary work in East Asia. Bethanie was subsequently taken over by the government and leased to the University of Hong Kong from 1978 to 1997. In 2002, the government decided to lease Bethanie to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts for conversion into the Department of Film and Television. The restoration and renovation of Bethany Abbey was completed in 2006, and it has since become the second campus of the Academy of Performing Arts. Architecturally designed in the Neo-Gothic style, Bethany Abbey consists of three main parts: a chapel, a sanatorium, and a staff quarters, all arranged in a symmetrical layout. The building is surrounded by verandas on all four sides, with the exterior walls composed of rubble stone and ochre walls on the ground floor, decorative balustrades, and a gallery with pointed arches. The building's most distinctive feature is its magnificent chapel. Public areas on campus are open to the public, but please maintain quiet to avoid disrupting classes. The chapel is available for public rental, and weddings can be held there even without a specific religious affiliation. The chapel is closed on non-functioning days. A small museum on site explains the history of Bethany Abbey. Admission is free and the museum is closed on Wednesdays. It was also a major filming location for the film "Wish Upon a Star," starring Cecilia Cheung and Richie Jen. Download the Trip.com app ➜ Search for "FamilyTravel" on the homepage ➜ View recommended family travel deals! @trip.com_hk #tripFamilyTravelInformation