Bishan History & Development

The Transformation of Peck San Theng to Bishan

The full name of this burial ground is called Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng. This is because the burial ground was intended to cater solely to the Cantonese community in the early days.

Within a century, Peck San Theng became one of the biggest Chinese cemeteries in Singapore, holding more than 100,000 graves grouped under 10 pavilions over 324 acres of land.

In 1979, the Singapore government decided to acquire all its land to create a new town. All the existing graves were exhumed and the remains cremated during the 1980s. The new town was named Bishan, which is the same as Peck San except the former is in Hanyu Pinyin and the latter is in Cantonese.

To enable Peck San Theng to continue with its tradition, the government leased 8 acres (32376.4 Sq M) of land to Peck San Theng for the accommodation of an office block, a monument, two temples, and a columbarium. The columbarium houses some 100,000 niches, which have, since 1980, been offered to members of the public irrespective of their race, language and religion. Peck San Theng is managed by a federation of 16 Cantonese clan associations. Today Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng at Bishan Lane is a gentle reminder of the past.

* Extracted from http://www.kwspecksantheng.com

 

Bishan New Town

Transportation

Bishan is connected to the rest of Singapore via the Central Expressway. In addition, it has its own Mass Rapid Transit station, the Bishan MRT Station, on the North South Line and Circle Line. Bishan also has a bus interchange, with SBS Transit services 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 and 410. Bus services 13, 88,156 and 162 runs along Bishan Road.

Education

Currently, Bishan contains four primary schools, seven secondary schools, one junior college and a post-secondary technical education institution that are part of Singapore's education system.

The schools are: Ai Tong School, Catholic High Primary School, Guangyang Primary School, Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School, Bishan Park Secondary School, Catholic High School, Guangyang Secondary School, Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School, Peirce Secondary School, Raffles Institution, Whitley Secondary School, Raffles Junior College and ITE College Central (Bishan Campus).

One campus of the Ministry of Education Language Centre (MOELC) is also located in Bishan, the other being located in Ghim Moh.

Shopping Centres

Bishan currently has 3 shopping centres.

The Junction 8 Shopping Centre, run by CapitaLand, is situated at Bishan Central near the Bishan MRT Station and Bishan Bus Interchange.

The Bishan North Shopping Mall is a non-airconditioned complex comprising of shops that specialize in the sale of day-to-day products. It features a wet market. Contrary to its name, it is not a shopping mall.

Thomson Plaza is located on Upper Thomson Road.

Parks

The Bishan Park is divided into two major parts — Bishan Park 1 and Bishan Park 2 — with Marymount Road serving as the main divider between these two portions. The Kallang River canal separates the park from the apartment blocks in Bishan New Town which is accessible across the canal via a number of foot bridges. The park has ponds and fishing spots, and serves residents from Ang Mo Kio New Town, Bishan North, Sin Ming and Bishan New Town.

Bishan Park 1 is smaller in area than Bishan Park 2, and is about 1.7 km in length from end to end. A park-spa has been newly built in this park.

Bishan Park 2 sprawls over a larger area than Bishan Park 1 but is only about 1.1 km in length from end to end.

* Extracted from http://www.wikipedia.com