Bishan derived its name from the large Cantonese burial ground, commonly known as Peck San Theng (simplified Chinese: 碧山亭; pinyin: bìshántīng), which means "pavilions on the green". The burial ground was established in 1870 by immigrants who largely came from the three prefectures of Kwong Chow Fu (广州府), Wai Chow Fu (惠州府) and Siew Heng Fu (肇庆府) in Guangdong Province, China