Bishan, Singapore

Bishan (/bɪʃʌn/), also known as either Bishan New Town or Bishan Town, is a planning area and matured residential town located at the northernmost portion of the Central Region of Singapore. Statistically, the area is ranked the 38th biggest in terms of geographical size and the 22nd most populated planning area in the country. It is located at the most Central point of Singapore, and it comprises Upper Thomson, Marymount, Shunfu, Sin Ming, Bishan North and Bishan East. There are also many private residential properties in Bishan.[5] Bishan is ranked 15th in terms of population density.[3] Apart from its boundary with the Central Water Catchment in the west, Bishan borders three other planning areas: Ang Mo Kio to the north, Toa Payoh to the south, and Serangoon to the east.[6]

Quick facts: Bishan, Other transcription(s),  •&... ▼

Bishan
Planning Area and HDB Town
Other transcription(s)
• Chinese	碧山 Bìshān (Pinyin) Phek-san (Hokkien POJ) Bīk-sāan (Cantonese Yale)
• Malay	Bishan
• Tamil	பீஷான் Pīṣāṉ (Transliteration)
From top left to right: Aerial panorama of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Aerial view of Bishan Town Centre, Bishan Depot, Guide House of the Girl Guides Singapore, Bishan Stadium, Raffles Institution, Bishan at night
Location in Central Region
Bishan Location of Bishan within Singapore
Coordinates: 1°21′3″N 103°51′5″E
Country	Singapore
Region	Central Region
CDC	Central Singapore CDC
Town council	Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council
Constituency	Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Marymount SMC
Development begins	1983[1]
Town completed	1989[1]
DGP exhibited	1994[2]
PA incorporated	22 January 1999[2]
Government
• Mayor	Central Singapore CDC Denise Phua
• Members of Parliament	Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Chee Hong Tat Chong Kee Hiong Marymount SMC Gan Siow Huang
Area [3][4]
• Total	7.62 km2 (2.94 sq mi)
• Rank	38th
• Residential	1.72 km2 (0.66 sq mi)
Population  (2019)[3][4][5]
• Total	87,320
• Rank	22nd
• Density	11,000/km2 (30,000/sq mi)
• Rank	15th
Ethnic groups [5]
• Chinese	75,040
• Malays	3,190
• Indians	6,490
• Others	2,590
Postal district	20
Dwelling units	20,072
Projected ultimate	34,000

What is now Bishan today was once land that belonged to Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng, a century old cemetery that mainly served the Cantonese and Hakka communities in Singapore. Following the establishment of the cemetery in 1870, the first human settlements began to appear in the area, forming what eventually became Kampong San Teng.[1][7] During the Battle of Singapore in 1942, Peck San Theng was the site of a fierce firefight between the invading Japanese forces and the defending British.[1][8] The subsequent fall of the island to the Japanese that same year eventually made Peck San Theng a place of refuge for most of the Singapore population.[9] In 1973, Peck San Theng ceased accepting burials, and six years later, following a government lease, the land was acquired for development.[10] Graves were then exhumed between 1982 and 1984, paving the way for the construction of Bishan New Town in 1983.[1] Today, Peck San Theng remains in operation, although it has since been converted into a columbarium.

Bishan New Town became the first in Singapore to depart from the brutalist design seen in most previous Housing and Development Board (HDB) towns. Instead of slab-like residential blocks that were built in uniformed rows, apartment blocks in Bishan varied in height and were often dislocated. Flats within the town also featured pitched roofs which have since become closely associated with the skyline of Bishan.[1][7] The town is also home to three of Singapore's most prestigious educational institutions: Catholic High School, Raffles Girls' School, and Raffles Institution.[7][11]