(Guess what are the white things dotting the landscape? Ans : Tombstones)
RISING FROM THE ASHES
As the high rises of Bishan went up, the population went down. Today, Bishan's 68,000 residents live where 100,000 graves once were something few people born after the 1970s know about.
This old picture (above), taken in 1979, is one of the last photographs of the area before it was developed to become the bustling Housing Board township we see today (below), with its schools and suburban malls, homes and families.
Before it was developed, the Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Teng cemetery was meant for early immigrants. Founded in 1870 by immigrants from Guangdong province in China, it was one of the biggest and oldest burial grounds on the island. Kwong Wai Siew refers to three prefectures in Guangdong province Kwong Fu, Wai Chow Fu and Siew Hing - Fu the founders of the cemetery hailed from. Peck San Teng translates, literally, as "Bishan pavilion".
P.S.
That's why Bishan MRT station is rumoured to be haunted. It was previously a cemetery.
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