Our prof initiated our second and final project for this semester by briefing us about it and conducting our lucky draw with names of different planning areas or DGP zones, as I later found out. I called it a lucky draw because for me well, it really was. Being a foreign student, I’m aware of and have been to very few places here, so I was hoping I get one of the those, but wellllll, I got Yishun.

I know as much about Yishun as I know about what I’m doing with my life right now. I don’t. Nevertheless, my inner ‘Dora the explorer’ self took it up as a challenge, equally intimidating and exciting. 

Here’s a little background research I gathered from talking to people and the internet:

Etymology: Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, was named after Lim Nee Soon, a Singaporean merchant and well known community leader in North Singapore. It was later renamed to Yishun, as a part of Singapore Government’s move to use Standard Chinese over other dialects.

History: The history of Yishun dates back to over a century ago. Mr. Lim Nee Soon bought the land alongside Seletar riverside for rubber plantations. And was soon developed into a settlement for the Chinese immigrant  workers who worked in the rubber plantations. They soon formed the Nee Soon village. 

Significant developments in the history of Yishun: 

Proximity: Yishun is located in the North of Singapore and falls on the red line. It is within an hour’s distance from the airport.

Things to see/do in and/or near Yishun: I visited the Seletar reservoir and found it breathtakingly beautiful! Apart from that I found a number of things on the internet: http://thesmartlocal.com/read/north-sg-guide 

Even though my first visit to Yishun was not quite how I expected it to be, thanks to the rain. I hope to visit the place back and I’m excited to work on this assignment.