[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] 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.

[7][11] Bishan derived its name from the Cantonese term for large burial ground, Peck San Theng (Chinese: 碧山亭; pinyin: bìshāntíng), which literally translates as "pavilions on the green".

[12][13] This term reflects the neighbourhood's origins as a burial ground that was established in 1870 by Cantonese and Hakka immigrants.

[1] This burial ground has since been redeveloped and the original graves were relocated to the nearby Peck San Theng Temple.

Peck San Theng cemetery was established in 1870 on the site of present-day Bishan by Cantonese and Hakka immigrants.

[8] During World War II, the Peck San Theng cemetery became a battle ground between British and Japanese forces.

The 2nd Battalion of the Cambridgeshire Regiment had engaged the Japanese forces on 14 February 1942 over the nearby strategically important MacRitchie Reservoir.

[9] After the war, the graves of Peck San Theng became a known gangster hideout, and gang-related crimes became rife in the area.

[18] The government later acquired this cemetery land from the Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng foundation for SGD$$4.95 million in 1979.

In addition to Sin Ming Ville, the development of Lakeview Estate was simultaneously completed somewhere in mid 1977.

Later in the late 1990s, the low rise segment of Lakeview Estate was demolished and it remains vacant to date.

[23] There were initial fears of a poor demand for houses in Bishan due to prevailing local superstitions about bad fengshui since they were built on a former cemetery.

[28][29] Bishan Stadium is the home of the Lion City Sailors, a professional football club that plays in Singapore Premier League.

[38] The Kallang River runs through the middle of the park, and can be crossed via a number of foot bridges and stepping stones.

[42] The Kwong Wai Shiu Peck San Theng School (广惠肇碧山亭学校) was initially housed on the foundation's temple premises.

[42] The Kwong Wai Shiu Peck San Theng School was also integrated into Singapore's mainstream education system that year.

[42] In addition, Shin Min Public School (淡申律公立新民学校) was located at Sin Ming Road from 1945 to 1986, closing due to low enrollment.

[53] This campus was subsequently closed in 2012 and relocated to the new ITE College Central mega-campus in Ang Mo Kio.

[55] The old facilities of ITE Bishan subsequently became a temporary holding site for schools which are undergoing renovation.

The entirety of the Bishan planning area was originally under the jurisdiction of the four-member (previously five-member) Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representative Constituency (GRC), which was first formed during the 1997 Singaporean general election.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC remained uncontested under the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP), until the 2011 Singaporean general election where the incumbent team, led by former Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, defeated then-Potong Pasir SMC and Singapore People's Party (SPP) secretary-general Chiam See Tong.