{{Redirect|Bukit Brown|the Mass Rapid Transit station of the same name|Bukit Brown MRT station}}{{Short description|Cemetery in Novena, Singapore}} {{good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Use British English|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox cemetery | name = Bukit Brown Cemetery | established = 1 January 1922 | image = Main gate of Bukit Brown Cemetery, Singapore - 20130728-03.JPG | caption = Main gate to Bukit Brown Cemetery in 2013 | size_ha = | graves = 100,000 | type = Chinese | closed = 1973 | coordinates = {{Coord|1.3361|103.8230|display=title,inline}} | country = Singapore | location = 36C Lor Halwa, Singapore 298637 | size_acre = 173<ref name=":18">{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=170}}</ref> to 213<ref name=":29" /> | alt = An open gate in a forested area }}
'''Bukit Brown Cemetery''', also known as the '''Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery''' or the '''Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery''', is located in Novena in the Central Region of Singapore. The site of the cemetery was originally owned by George Henry Brown, a British merchant. It became known as Brown's Hill, which was translated into Malay as Bukit Brown. The site was eventually given to the Seh Ong Kongsi, who opened a private clan cemetery there in the 1870s.
Beginning in the 1880s, cemeteries in Singapore grew rapidly. In 1887, the Legislative Council passed a bill that limited their creation, particularly limiting Chinese cemeteries. The Chinese community called for the creation of a municipal cemetery, having few options for burying their dead, with notable supporters of the concept including Tan Kheam Hock and Lim Boon Keng. The Municipal Commission began looking for suitable sites and settled on the Seh Ong Kongsi's land, acquiring the site in 1919 through compulsory acquisition.
Three years later, the Commission opened Bukit Brown Cemetery. Although initially unpopular with the Chinese community, after some modifications, use increased. By 1929, forty percent of Chinese buried in Singapore were interred at Bukit Brown Cemetery. The cemetery ran out of unreserved plots in 1944, and when the last burials were held, the cemetery was closed in 1973, containing about 100,000 graves. In 2011, the government designated the area for residential development, leading to protests from activists who believed the cemetery should be preserved. The following year, around 3,700 graves were exhumed to build an eight-lane highway. The cemetery was since designated as "at risk" on the 2014 World Monuments Watch, and there have been proposals to designate it a national monument.
Bukit Brown Cemetery is believed to be the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, and is the burial location of many of Singapore's earliest pioneers. Preservation advocates support maintaining Bukit Brown and other nearby cemeteries for their vegetation, wildlife, and heritage. Traditional Chinese festivals are regularly held at these cemeteries.
== Etymology == The cemetery and the surrounding area are referred to as Bukit Brown (''bukit'' meaning ''hill'' in Malay), after George Henry Brown, the original owner of the land where the cemetery is situated.<ref name="savageyeoh">{{Harvnb|Savage|Yeoh|2022|p=70|ref=}}</ref><ref name=":27" /> The cemetery is also known as the Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery or the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery.<ref name=":29">{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|p=290}}</ref> The name was the first official designation in Singapore to by a hybrid of multiple languages, including both English and Malay.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Pierson |first=David |date=3 March 2020 |title=Singapore's original crazy rich bedazzled their tombs with tiles: A race to save them as exhumation looms |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-06/la-fg-singapore-bukit-brown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530010243/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-06/la-fg-singapore-bukit-brown |archive-date=30 May 2025 |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Brown named the hill where the cemetery is located Mount Pleasant; it is also locally referred to as Coffee Hill or Kopi Sua.<ref name=":15">{{Cite news |last=Lim |first=Kwan Kwan |date=25 September 1984 |title=The dead and the living side by side |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19840925-1.2.26.1? |access-date=25 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=12 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref>
== History ==
=== 1800s: Early establishments === thumb|upright=0.7|George Henry Brown in 1863 with his daughter Charlotte Ellen|alt=Brown facing forwards, with his daughter on his hip
George Henry Brown (1826–1882) was a nineteenth century British merchant and ship owner who arrived in Singapore (then part of the Straits Settlements) in the 1840s and lived there until his death after an accident in Penang on 5 October 1882. He owned three ships and made horse carriages.<ref name="savageyeoh" /><ref name=":27">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Huang|2014|p=22}}</ref>
Brown's business G. H. Brown & Co was located at Raffles Place. Brown married Ellen Brown (1827–1903) in 1854 and they had multiple children. Brown was known for his interest in music; he played the organ at St. Andrew's Cathedral. Brown also owned multiple plots of land in the colony; these included a plot that had hilly terrain, which he called Mount Pleasant. Brown built a house he called Fern Cottage at Mount Pleasant. His attempts to grow nutmeg and coffee on the site were unsuccessful. The land was referred to as Brown's Hill, locally translated into Malay as Bukit Brown.<ref name="savageyeoh" /> It was listed as Bukit Brown by British map makers.<ref name=":27" />
Brown later sold the land to Indian Chettiar Mootapa Chitty and Chinese businessman Lim Chu Yi, who in turn sold the land to Ong Hew Ko, Ong Ewe Hai, and Ong Chong Chew. The trio gave the land to the Seh Ong Kongsi{{efn|"Kongsi" is a Hokkien transcription meaning a firm, partnership, or society, and was widely used in the names of Chinese institutions in the 19th-century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wang |first=Tai Peng |date=1979 |title=The Word "Kongsi": A Note |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41492844 |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=102 |jstor=41492844}}</ref>}} in 1872<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yong |first=Clement |date=17 March 2021 |title=Remains of Chinese pioneer merchant, who donated land for Bukit Brown, moved from cemetery |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/remains-of-chinese-pioneer-merchant-who-donated-land-for-bukit-brown-moved-from-cemetery |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427020119/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/remains-of-chinese-pioneer-merchant-who-donated-land-for-bukit-brown-moved-from-cemetery |archive-date=27 April 2025 |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> who, sometime in the 1870s, turned the land into a private cemetery for their members, leading to it being known as the Seh Ong Cemetery;<ref name=":1">{{Harvnb|Tsang|2007|pp=18–19}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Harvnb|Siew|2013|p=28}}</ref> it was initially planned to be used as a village for Chinese immigrants.<ref name=":21" /> The Hokkien Huay Kuan also buried their clan members there.<ref name=":27" />
=== 1900–2000: Bukit Brown Cemetery ===
==== Background ==== In early colonial Singapore, various ethnic communities built cemeteries according to their practices; for example, the Malays buried their dead in sand ridges while the Chinese preferred hillsides. Prior to 1857, cemeteries in Singapore were considered "communal responsibilities" and the British government exerted little control over burial locations from the multiple ethnic communities. However, by the 1880s, expansion efforts of the city centre were restricted by the scarcity of suitable land; surrounding land around the city was deemed unusable as it was either swampland or taken up by cemeteries.<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|pp=284–286}}</ref> [[File:Sir John W Bonser, Illustrated London News (16 November 1901).png|left|thumb|Attorney-General of the Straits Settlements John Winfield Bonser ''(pictured)'' stated of Chinese geomantic practices to be "a farrago of superstitious and ignorant nonsense".<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|p=301}}</ref>|alt=A portrait of Bonser from a newspaper]] Due to the Chinese belief in burying their dead on hillsides, many suitable pieces of land for residences were taken up by Chinese cemeteries. This belief led to concerns about sanitation, as the dead occupied the highest and more desirable sites, while the living resided on lower, more swampy land. Chinese cemeteries were increasingly seen by the authorities as both insanitary and restricting future development, leading to growing contention between the British authorities and Chinese communities in Singapore.<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|pp=286–287}}</ref>
In 1887, a bill, which authorised the regulation, licensing, and inspection of cemeteries, was created in an attempt to control the development of cemeteries, particularly targeting Chinese cemeteries. When it was first introduced at a Legislative Council meeting, it was considered controversial by the Chinese community as it attacked their spaces and ignored their funerary practices. Seah Liang Seah, a Chinese member of the Legislative Council, requested a postponement of the bill as it "seriously affected the interests of the Chinese community, mostly those of the respectable class."<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|p=291}}</ref> Following multiple petitions by the Chinese community, the bill was postponed and subsequently left in abeyance until 1896, when the issue of burials was reintroduced.<ref name=":22">{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|pp=294–297}}</ref>
The reintroduced bill was updated, giving the control of burial grounds to the Municipal Commission rather than the Legislative Council. The Commission could license, inspect burial grounds, close burial grounds if they were deemed unsafe, and impose penalties for improper corpse disposal. The control being given to the Commission was also important to the Chinese, as their views were considered more represented on that body than on the Council, which governed at a larger colonial level. Another difference between the 1896 bill and the 1887 bill was that private burial grounds would be allowed if licensed, instead of being fully prohibited.<ref name=":22" /> These restrictions led to private Chinese cemeteries becoming more prevalent, with a lack of public cemeteries for poor Chinese labourers, who resorted to illegally dumping their dead along five-foot ways and public places in the hope that the authorities who discover the bodies would bury them.<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|pp=301–303}}</ref>
==== Municipal acquisition and creation of Bukit Brown ==== Talks on the creation of a municipal Chinese cemetery had been ongoing since the 1880s, following complaints of restrictions placed on existing Chinese cemeteries. In the early twentieth century, following closures of cemeteries with max occupancies, old cemeteries being redeveloped, and fewer private cemeteries being made, the creation of a municipal cemetery became more important.<ref name=":18">{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=170}}</ref> Due to the urgency of the situation, some Chinese did not mind being buried in a municipal cemetery if it meant ignoring traditional burial methods involving geomancy.<ref name=":19">{{Harvnb|Song|1923|p=407}}</ref>{{Multiple image | direction = horizontal | total_width = 270 | image1 = Tan Kheam Hock.png | image2 = Lim Boon Keng, 1930s.jpg | footer = ''(L–R)'' Tan Kheam Hock and Lim Boon Keng were supporters of the establishment of a municipal cemetery for the Chinese. | alt1 = Black and white photograph of Tan, facing forwards | alt2 = Black and white photograph of Lim, facing right }} The first official mention of a municipal Chinese cemetery was as early as 1904, when a group of Chinese residents, including Peranakan social activist Lim Boon Keng, suggested that the Municipal Commissioners "set aside a burial ground for their use to be managed on the lines of the Christian Cemetery".<ref name=":18" /> In 1906, Lim again suggested the inception of a proper burial site for the Chinese community, which the Municipal Commission unanimously agreed to.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 December 1906 |title=The Municipality |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitsecho19061215-1.2.21.1? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=Straits Echo |pages=5 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> Straits-born businessman Ching Keng Lee also agreed on the importance of a municipal cemetery for the Chinese, as it would help Chinese people of lower or middle income to afford burials.<ref name=":19" /> Singaporean politician Tan Kheam Hock also supported the establishment of a public Chinese cemetery.<ref name=":2" /> In Song Ong Siang's ''One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore'' (1923), Tan was described as their "rememberer".<ref name=":19" /> After Bukit Brown Cemetery was opened, Tan would manage the cemetery until his death.<ref name=":2">{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=176}}</ref>
Given the breadth of support for a municipal cemetery, the Municipal Commission began sourcing suitable locations.<ref name=":18" /> The Hokkien cemetery at Keppel Harbour and the cemetery at Holland Road were initially considered for use, but were eventually rejected. Another option was at Bidadari, where the existing Bidadari Cemetery was already located, but the Commission rejected it as "the burial customs of the Chinese were incompatible with the general ambience of a site already consecrated to the Christian dead." The municipal president further stated that "there might be clashing and inconvenience" if burials from different traditions happened to take place at the same time. In a meeting on 26 October 1917, the Municipal Commission announced their selection of the Seh Ong Cemetery, particularly due to its size and cost.<ref name=":11" /> Tan would later bring up whether progress had been made in acquiring land at Bukit Brown to re-purpose it as a Chinese burial ground in a Municipal meeting in December.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 December 1917 |title=Municipal Commission |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19171229-1.2.48? |access-date=15 August 2024 |work=Malaya Tribune |pages=5 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> Following this decision, the Seh Ong Kongsi stated:<blockquote>The trustees preferred to retain the land for the use of their own kongsi. There was sufficient land to last the Seh Ong Kongsi for 200 years and they preferred to reserve it for themselves rather than sell it and make use of it for other kongsis or races of Chinese who were short of burial grounds. [''sic'']<ref name=":12">{{Harvnb|Siew|2013|p=29}}</ref></blockquote> After multiple negotiations with the Seh Ong Kongsi, where they refused to give up the land every time, the Municipal Commissioners decided that "the only other course left [for the Commission was] to approach the government to appropriate the land in spite of the unwillingness of the owners".<ref name=":12" /> In 1919, the Municipal Commission acquired a portion of the Seh Ong Kongsi's land through compulsory acquisition; they additionally acquired other nearby parcels of land.<ref name=":7">{{Harvnb|Savage|Yeoh|2022|p=71}}</ref><ref name=":18" /> Two years were then spent on creating the layout for the cemetery, building footpaths and facilities, hiring staff, and establishing by-laws for the cemetery.<ref name=":18" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=30 August 1921 |title=Chinese Burial Ground |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19210830-1.2.74? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=Malaya Tribune |pages=7 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> The by-laws were created by a subcommittee of the Municipal Commission, which included Municipal Commissioners Tan and See Tiong Wah, a municipal health officer, an engineer, and a legal adviser.<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|p=307}}</ref>
==== Opening of Bukit Brown and subsequent use ==== thumb|The temple at Bukit Brown Cemetery in 1929|alt=Black and white photograph of a Chinese temple
The cemetery was officially opened as Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery on 1 January 1922.<ref name=":7" /> In 1923, the road leading to Bukit Brown Cemetery was named Bukit Brown Road, and another road leading up to the cemetery was named Kheam Hock Road after Tan.<ref>{{Harvnb|Savage|Yeoh|2022|p=282}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=6 June 1923 |title=Action Taken at Commission Meeting. |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19230606-1.2.65 |access-date=18 October 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=10 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> A cemetery temple was built, and a priest who sold joss sticks and candles was hired.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 April 1923 |title=Municipal Matters |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19230414.2.67 |access-date=4 September 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=9 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> The temple was modelled on the Thian Hock Keng Temple in Telok Ayer.<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|p=309}}</ref> When it opened, Bukit Brown Cemetery was not initially popular with the Chinese; its first burial occurred in August 1922. The municipal president stated it was "not utilised to the extent which we had anticipated", with the main reasons being the size and layout of the grave plots, although these were put in place to maximise space.<ref name=":13">{{Harvnb|Siew|2013|pp=29–30}}</ref><ref name=":26">{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|pp=307, 309}}</ref> Bukit Brown Cemetery was separated into two sections – "general" and "pauper" – to make it more inclusive. The general section's plots were about {{convert|14|x|8|feet}} and cost $50 Strait whilst the pauper section's plots were {{convert|8|x|4|feet}}. The pauper section was also located in a low-lying area that was regularly flooded, but there was no monetary cost for plots.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=175}}</ref>{{Sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|pp=72–73}}
In addition to the small grave plots, they were laid out in rows in groups of ten. This fixed positioning of the plots was unpopular with the Chinese as they preferred having individualised plots that followed traditional geomancy practices; the municipal authorities preferred the fixed positions.<ref name=":26" /> Due to the limited plot sizes, families tended to use two burial plots for one burial. Another complaint was the Commission's inconsistency in enforcing the layout rules; some graves took up two or more plots despite the fact that the by-laws required one grave per plot. These larger plots were owned by wealthier individuals, leading to further complaints about social classes.<ref name=":13" /> The Municipal Commission eventually consulted with the Chinese Advisory Board, who amended the by-laws to better suit Chinese preferences. They changed the sizes of the burial plots, expanding the sizes of plots to {{convert|20|x|10|feet}} in the general section and {{convert|10|x|5|feet}} in the pauper section. Plot layouts were also changed to face either south or east and spaces for paths were left after every sixth row of graves.<ref>{{Harvnb|Siew|2013|p=31}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|pp=|p=309}}</ref>left|thumb|The funeral of Ng Thian Eng at Bukit Brown Cemetery in 1953|alt=Black and white photograph of people lowering a coffin into a grave These changes resulted in Bukit Brown Cemetery becoming more popular among the Chinese community.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|pp=170–171}}</ref> More rest houses and wells were built, and gardeners were hired to maintain the grounds.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 September 1922 |title=Bukit Brown Cemetery. |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19220927.2.41 |access-date=4 September 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=8 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> In the mid 1920s, the Singapore Improvement Trust began clearing graves in the Tiong Bahru area, with new plots offered at Bukit Brown for those affected that only cost the amount for removing the graves.<ref>{{Harvnb|Yeoh|2003|p=306}}</ref> By 1929, 40% of the dead among the Chinese community in Singapore were buried at Bukit Brown Cemetery.<ref name=":1" /> In 1941, Choa Chu Kang Cemetery was established as Bukit Brown Cemetery and Bidadari Cemetery were both running out of space.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 February 1941 |title=Singapore's New Burial Ground |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19410225-1.2.24? |access-date=15 August 2024 |work=Malaya Tribune |pages=2 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref>
During the Japanese occupation, mass communal trenches were dug to bury thousands of unidentified victims of Japanese bombings. Research in 2014 by activists suggests that Bukit Brown was a key battleground between the Japanese and British troops due to its high terrain. According to archaeologist and military historian Jon Cooper, the only tank engagement took place at Kheam Hock Road. Some of the deaths of the Sook Ching massacre also likely took place in Bukit Brown's forested areas.<ref>{{Harvnb|Huang|2014|p=29}}</ref> By 1944, Bukit Brown Cemetery had reached its allotted number of burials and no further burials were allowed except for those who had reserved plots.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=171}}</ref> In 1946, more grave plots were released for people whose reservations had been taken up during the Japanese occupation and used for pauper burials.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 September 1946 |title=New Grave Plots At Bukit Brown |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19460909-1.2.66? |access-date=15 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=5 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 September 1946 |title=Graves Decision |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/freepress19460904-1.2.17.49? |access-date=15 August 2024 |work=The Singapore Free Press |pages=5 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref>
The following year, Bukit Brown Cemetery and Choa Chu Kang Cemetery were discussed in a municipal meeting by L. Rayman, who was concerned about the land use by the cemeteries. An amendment that limited the size of burial plots was later passed.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 March 1947 |title=S'pore Short of Burial Plots |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19470329-1.2.92 |access-date=13 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=7 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> In 1951, {{SGD|63180|link=on}} was spent by the Municipal Commission to maintain Bukit Brown Cemetery alongside two other cemeteries. {{SGD|17040}} was spent for maintenance whilst the remaining {{SGD|46140}} was for grass cutting.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 December 1950 |title=$46,000 To Cut Grass |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitsbudget19501214-1.2.87? |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=The Straits Budget |pages=12 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> In 1965, the Public Works Department (PWD) exhumed 237 graves to realign Lornie Road off Adam Road.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 December 1964 |title=237 Graves on State Land at Bukit Brown to be Exhumed |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19641225.2.20 |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=4 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=17 December 1964 |title=Graves to be Exhumed for Road Alignment |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19641217.2.25 |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=5 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> Bukit Brown Cemetery was closed for new burials in 1973, with about 100,000 graves.<ref name=":1" /> From the 1970s to 1980s, occasional maintenance works by the Ministry of the Environment such as grass cutting were held.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 March 1978 |title=Page 37 Advertisements Column 1 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19780303-1.2.138.1? |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=37 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 January 1985 |title=Page 3 Advertisements Column 2 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19850104-1.2.99.10.2? |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=3 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> From 1992 to 1993, 600 graves were exhumed from nearby Chinese cemeteries to widen the Pan Island Expressway, which included Bukit Brown Cemetery.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 December 1992 |title=Most of the 600 graves near PIE still unclaimed |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19921228-1.2.25.1? |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=14 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref name=":23" />
=== 2000–present: Redevelopment plans for Bukit Brown and conservation efforts === thumb|A banner opposing the building of Lornie Highway|alt=A suspended banner reading "Save Our Singapore" and "Save Bukit Brown"
In 2011, the area was designated for residential development,{{efn|Bukit Brown had already been designated for residential development since the 1991 Concept Plan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perera |first=Leon |author-link=Leon Perera |date=16 February 2021 |title=Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on plans to redevelop the cemetery areas around Bukit Brown, including the section close to the Old Police Academy, in the next 10 to 15 years |url=https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/parliament-matters/q-as/view/written-answer-by-ministry-of-national-development-on-plans-to-redevelop-the-cemetery-areas-around-bukit-brown-including-the-section-close-to-the-old-police-academy-in-the-next-10-to-15-years |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423211741/https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/parliament-matters/q-as/view/written-answer-by-ministry-of-national-development-on-plans-to-redevelop-the-cemetery-areas-around-bukit-brown-including-the-section-close-to-the-old-police-academy-in-the-next-10-to-15-years |archive-date=23 April 2025 |access-date=5 September 2024 |website= |publisher=Ministry of National Development}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leow |first=Claire |date=26 March 2012 |title=Bukit Brown: the polemics of engagement |url=https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/gia/article/bukit-brown-the-polemics-of-engagement |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530021532/https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/gia/article/bukit-brown-the-polemics-of-engagement |archive-date=30 May 2025 |access-date=5 September 2024 |website=Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy |publisher=National University of Singapore}}</ref>}} leaving many activists upset, as they felt that the cemetery was "a distinctive slice of the multi-ethnic country's fast disappearing heritage"<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Lim |first=Rebecca |date=6 April 2012 |title=Singapore to drive road through historic cemetery |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17594008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241118181732/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17594008 |archive-date=18 November 2024 |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> and that it should be preserved.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Zhiwang |date=28 October 2011 |title=Taoist Mission supports preservation of cemetery |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/today20111028-1.2.34.4? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=Today |pages=26 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Danny G. |date=2 November 2011 |title=Were Local Groups Even Consulted About Bukit Brown Plan? |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/today20111102-2.2.27.2? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=Today |pages=22 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chua |first=Grace |date=6 February 2012 |title=Heritage society 'disappointed' with Govt's Bukit Brown decision |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20120206-2.2.9.10 |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=7 |via=NewspaperSG |quote=It added it was 'deeply disappointed' with the Government's decision to continue with a road through part of the historical burial ground, adding it regretted there was no public construction before zoning and road-building decisions were made.}}</ref> Early movements against the redevelopment plans started on Facebook, when a group titled Heritage Singapore – Bukit Brown Cemetery was launched on the platform. After the Ministry of National Development stated their plans to convert the cemetery into a housing estate by 2030, along with constructing a new road to reduce traffic on the Pan Island Expressway, more groups were formed such as the Rojak Librarian, All Things Bukit Brown, and SOS Bukit Brown.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Han |first=Kirsten |date=2015-08-07 |title=Land-starved Singapore exhumes its cemeteries to build roads and malls |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/07/land-starved-singapore-exhumes-its-cemeteries-to-build-roads-and-malls |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001170415/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/07/land-starved-singapore-exhumes-its-cemeteries-to-build-roads-and-malls |archive-date=1 October 2024 |access-date=2025-06-06 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":28">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Huang|2014|p=25}}</ref> In 2012, National Development Minister of State Tan Chuan-Jin announced that 5,000 graves would be exhumed to make way for a new, eight-lane Lornie Highway that would cut through the cemetery, the aforementioned road to reduce traffic.<ref>{{cite web |last=Anns |first=Mary |date=4 February 2012 |title=Road through Bukit Brown to go ahead as planned |url=http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120204-325900.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419090338/http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120204-325900.html |archive-date=19 April 2012 |access-date=4 September 2024 |work=AsiaOne}}</ref>
During a budget debate, Tan acknowledged the importance of heritage conservation in Singapore, but restated that the highway would have to be built to help connect to the northern–northeastern region and reduce traffic congestion on the existing Lornie Road. Tan also stated that the Urban Redevelopment Authority was in the process of documenting the graves at the cemetery.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chan |first=Joanne |date=5 March 2012 |title=Development should not come at expense of heritage: Tan Chuan-Jin |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1187049/1/.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414052033/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1187049/1/.html |archive-date=14 April 2012 |access-date=4 September 2024 |publisher=Channel NewsAsia}}</ref> On 19 March 2012, the number of graves to be exhumed was reduced to 3,746, after several consultations;<ref name=":25">{{cite web |last=Chan |first=Joanne |date=19 March 2012 |title=LTA announces finalised alignment for Bukit Brown road project |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1189968/1/.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617225348/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1189968/1/.html |archive-date=17 June 2012 |access-date=4 September 2024 |publisher=Channel NewsAsia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=19 March 2012 |title=LTA finalises alignment of new road across Bukit Brown |url=http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2012/pr12-26.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410034152/http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2012/pr12-26.html |archive-date=10 April 2012 |access-date=4 September 2024 |publisher=Urban Redevelopment Authority}}</ref> those consulted for the process include the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, the Singapore Heritage Society (SHS), academics, and grave experts.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 October 2011 |title=MND aware of Bukit Brown cemetery's rich heritage |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1161491/1/.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227083119/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1161491/1/.html |archive-date=27 December 2011 |access-date=6 June 2025 |publisher=Channel NewsAsia}}</ref> This was followed by a closed-door meeting between Tan and selected representatives. However, many left unconvinced, and a critical statement of the government's choices was published later that day in a collaboration between seven activist groups. Tan later responded on Facebook, stating that the meeting was only to announce the details of the highway, and was not a consultative session.<ref>{{Harvnb|Huang|2014|p=31}}</ref> Furthermore, a documentation project – that was helmed by anthropologist Hui Yew-Foong – was formed by Tan as a "major government concession"; this later found controversy, however, when journalist Han Yongmei reported that only {{SGD|250000|link=}} was provided as funding for a documentation project of such a size expected to be completed in a year.<ref>{{Harvnb|Huang|2014|pp=27–28}}</ref>
Other criticisms included drawing similarities to Wanqingyuan's redevelopment into the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, specifically on the high cost of government funds being used to maintain the building instead of on gravestones at Bukit Brown Cemetery. Tan refuted these claims by stating that Bukit Brown was a large burial ground, while Sun Yat Sen was a memorial hall. Golf courses were also brought up by the SHS's Liew Kai Khiun, as there were "22 golf courses and three temporary golf sites [which] occupied 88 per cent of the 1,600 hectares of land used for sports and recreation in 2000, or 2.2 per cent of total land area". In support of Liew's view, an editorial brought up the 1986 demolition of the National Theatre, which only benefited a few people. On the other hand, former politician Goh Choon Kang disagreed on the comparison of Bukit Brown and golf courses, stating that the dead should make way for the living. Some writers also ironically brought up the use of government spending on artificially maintaining the Gardens by the Bay, while Bukit Brown was a product of the natural environment.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Huang|2014|p=|pp=28–29}}</ref>
The Land Transport Authority was also criticised for keeping their biodiversity impact assessment private, with political scientist Chong Ja Ian insisting that studies carried out by the government with taxpayers' money should be made public. The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy's Paul Barter referenced the issue later and stated that "the cost-and-benefit assumptions were not made public [...] so people are naturally skeptical because they don't see the analysis."<ref>{{Harvnb|Huang|2014|pp=31–32}}</ref> Bukit Brown activists further contemplated launching a judicial review against the government, but an analysis by the School of Law's Jack Tsen-Ta Lee found this unlikely to actually halt the construction of the highway. Following Lee's analysis, SOS Bukit Brown pushed for a public petition, calling the government's actions "unpragmatic and insufficiently thought-through".<ref>{{Harvnb|Huang|2014|p=32}}</ref>
Construction of the Lornie Highway began in 2011, and was expected to be completed by 2016, but was eventually completed in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tai |first=Janice |date=2018-10-28 |title=First section of Lornie Highway, formerly Bukit Brown Road, opens to traffic |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/first-section-of-lornie-highway-formerly-bukit-brown-road-opens-to-traffic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307231114/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/first-section-of-lornie-highway-formerly-bukit-brown-road-opens-to-traffic |archive-date=7 March 2025 |access-date=2024-08-14 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> During construction, Bukit Brown Road was replaced with a section of Lornie Highway.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Ng |first=Keng Gene |date=8 July 2024 |title=New outdoor display at Bukit Brown Cemetery to open by August |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-outdoor-display-at-bukit-brown-cemetery-to-open-by-august |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250512052219/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-outdoor-display-at-bukit-brown-cemetery-to-open-by-august |archive-date=12 May 2025 |access-date=13 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> Exhumed remains were either reinterred into smaller plots or cremated by the National Environment Agency.<ref name=":4" /> A bridge was built underneath to help animals pass through and the highway was aligned in such a way that it would avoid existing streams in the area.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feng |first=Zengkun |date=23 March 2012 |title=Bridge will help, say some experts |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20120323-1.2.38.9? |url-access=subscription |access-date=6 October 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=6 |via=NewspaperSG |quote=Earlier this week, the [Land Transport Authority] announced that a third of the planned road across the cemetery would be a bridge, to allow animals to pass under the road and preserve streams in the area.}}</ref> The highway itself was built {{Convert|5 to 10|m}} above depressed ground.<ref name=":27" /> Despite this, Ho Hua Chew of the Nature Society (Singapore) stated that birds and plant-life would remain affected by the highway.<ref name=":25" />thumb|left|A notice at Bukit Brown Cemetery about the exhumation of graves|alt=Three signs erected in the cemetery, detailing notices of exhumation
The National Archives of Singapore (NAS) digitised and released the burial registers of Bukit Brown Cemetery between April 1922 and December 1972 online, as well as a map of the cemetery to help descendants check if their ancestor's graves were affected by the development.<ref>{{cite web |title=Burial Registers of Bukit Brown Cemetery |url=http://www.nas.gov.sg/BukitBrown_signage.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623123455/http://www.nas.gov.sg/BukitBrown_signage.htm |archive-date=23 June 2014 |access-date=15 June 2014 |publisher=National Archives of Singapore}}</ref> It was also revealed that, in 2011, the rest of the cemetery would make way for a new public housing town in about 40 years time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoe |first=Yeen Nie |date=5 December 2011 |title=New alignment for road cutting through Bukit Brown? |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1169543/1/.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430192807/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1169543/1/.html |archive-date=30 April 2012 |access-date=4 September 2024 |publisher=Channel NewsAsia}}</ref> In 2014, a bush fire broke out at the cemetery that was the about the size of "1½ football fields" which took the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) 2 hours to put out.<ref name=":14">{{Cite news |last1=Ee |first1=David |last2=Yeo |first2=Sam Jo |date=13 March 2014 |title=Bush fires break out in Changi and Bukit Brown |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20140313-1.2.7.3? |url-access=subscription |access-date=6 October 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=2–3 |via=NewspaperSG |quote=Firefighters spent two hours putting out a large fire at Bukit Brown Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon as Singapore's spate of bush fires continued during the record-breaking dry spell. The blaze near Kheam Hock Road covered an area the size of 1½ football fields, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which was alerted to it at 11.55am.}}</ref> Bukit Brown Cemetery was listed on the 2014 World Monuments Watch as an "at risk site".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zaccheus |first=Melody |date=9 October 2013 |title=Bukit Brown Cemetery named on global list as a site at risk |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bukit-brown-cemetery-named-on-global-list-as-a-site-at-risk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630033903/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bukit-brown-cemetery-named-on-global-list-as-a-site-at-risk |archive-date=30 June 2024 |access-date=30 June 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>
In 2015, following the Singapore Botanic Gardens gaining UNESCO World Heritage Site status, Bukit Brown Cemetery and other sites were suggested as other potential World Heritage Sites. However, as cemeteries such as Bukit Brown or Jalan Kubor Cemetery were "neither a building nor a monument", they were unable to obtain national monument status, making it unlikely they would receive UNESCO World Heritage Site status.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koh |first=Valerie |date=12 July 2015 |title=Gardens' UNESCO success sparks calls for more sites to be protected |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/gardens-unesco-success-sparks-calls-more-sites-be-protected |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008135936/https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/gardens-unesco-success-sparks-calls-more-sites-be-protected |archive-date=8 October 2024 |access-date=6 October 2024 |website=Today |language=en}}</ref> In 2016, Bukit Brown Cemetery's gates, which were installed in the 1920s, were removed from their original posts, cleaned and repaired, and reinstalled at the mouth of a new access road near its original location.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zaccheus |first=Melody |date=19 January 2016 |title=Bukit Brown's iconic gates to be refurbished, relocated |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bukit-browns-iconic-gates-to-be-refurbished-relocated |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120001835/http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bukit-browns-iconic-gates-to-be-refurbished-relocated |archive-date=20 November 2015 |access-date=4 September 2024 |website=The Straits Times |issn=0585-3923}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Zaccheus |first=Melody |date=29 August 2016 |title=Bukit Brown gets back its 1920s gates |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bt-brown-gets-back-its-1920s-gates |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130062718/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bt-brown-gets-back-its-1920s-gates |archive-date=30 November 2024 |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> In 2017, the SHS launched a self-guided trail through Bukit Brown Cemetery that took visitors around 25 gravestones.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Hio |first=Lester |date=2017-11-18 |title=New Bukit Brown Cemetery self-guided trail takes visitors through 25 tombs |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-bukit-brown-cemetery-self-guided-trail-takes-visitors-through-25-tombs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250306104656/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-bukit-brown-cemetery-self-guided-trail-takes-visitors-through-25-tombs |archive-date=6 March 2025 |access-date=2024-08-13 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> In 2021, the Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng (KWSPST), partnering with the National Heritage Board, began cataloguing 1,500 funerary artefacts from graves exhumed in the Lornie Highway construction. They were later displayed at the KWSPST Early Chinese Burial Artefacts Gallery, which opened in 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chin |first=Soo Fang |last2=Quah |first2=Jason |date=3 December 2025 |title=Unearthed: Burial artefacts from Bukit Brown Cemetery find new life |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2025/12/burial-artefacts-exhibition-singapore/index.html |access-date=5 December 2025 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> In August 2024, Bukit Brown conservation groups opened an outdoor display called Sounds of the Earth, which featured 80 unclaimed artefacts that were collected in 2013 during the construction of Lornie Highway.<ref name=":3" />
== Geography == {{Multiple image | direction = vertical | image1 = Aerial photography of Bukit Brown Cemetery.png | image2 = Detail of Bukit Brown, Singapore Map - 1945 (cropped).jpg | footer = ''Top:'' An aerial view of Bukit Brown Cemetery, taken in 1946<br> ''Bottom:'' Detail of Bukit Brown Cemetery on a 1945 map of Singapore, labelled "Cemy" | total_width = 220 | alt1 = An aerial black and white photograph of a cemetery | alt2 = A detail of a map, showing a cemetery }}
Bukit Brown Cemetery is located in Novena in the Central Region of Singapore. Built attractions around the cemetery include the Singapore Polo Club and the Old Police Academy.{{efn|The Old Police Academy is currently undergoing redevelopment to be integrated with the new Mount Pleasant planning area while a part of Singapore Polo Club was acquired by the Singapore Land Authority for redevelopment.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chan |first=Rachel |date=13 July 2023 |title=Six BTO projects comprising 5,000 flats to be built in Mount Pleasant; first launch in 2025 |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/mount-pleasant-bto-hdb-project-flats-launch-2025-old-police-academy-3626811 |access-date=30 November 2024 |publisher=Channel NewsAsia|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250216054553/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/mount-pleasant-bto-hdb-project-flats-launch-2025-old-police-academy-3626811 |archive-date=16 February 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=23 November 2021 |title=HDB Unveils Plans for a New Public Housing Estate at Site of Former Police Academy in the Mount Pleasant Area |url=https://www.sla.gov.sg/articles/highlights/2021/hdb-unveils-plans-for-a-new-public-housing-estate-at-site-of-former-police-academy-in-the-mount-pleasant-area |access-date=30 November 2024 |publisher=Singapore Land Authority|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321212711/https://www.sla.gov.sg/articles/highlights/2021/hdb-unveils-plans-for-a-new-public-housing-estate-at-site-of-former-police-academy-in-the-mount-pleasant-area |archive-date=21 March 2025 }}</ref>}} Bukit Brown Cemetery is bordered by the Pan Island Expressway to the south and Thomson Road to the east, and is bisected by Lornie Highway.<ref name=":16">{{Cite web |date=23 November 2021 |title=Joint Press Release by HDB, URA & SLA - HDB Unveils Plans for a New Public Housing Estate at Site of Former Police Academy in the Mount Pleasant Area |url=https://www.hdb.gov.sg/about-us/news-and-publications/press-releases/23112021-New-Public-Housing-Mount-Pleasant-Area |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250417101926/https://www.hdb.gov.sg/about-us/news-and-publications/press-releases/23112021-New-Public-Housing-Mount-Pleasant-Area |archive-date=17 April 2025 |access-date=19 October 2024 |publisher=Housing and Development Board}}</ref> Besides Bukit Brown Cemetery, the area within the roads contains multiple other cemeteries of different sizes. Due to this, the terms "Bukit Brown" or "Greater Bukit Brown" can be used to refer to the collection of cemeteries as a whole.<ref name=":27" /><ref name=":21" />
Kampong Kheam Hock or Kheam Hock Village, a kampong village, formerly existed along Kheam Hock Road. In 1949, a municipal survey estimated there were 250 huts at the village whilst in 1984, an estimated 200 families lived there.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 1949 |title=Kampong Conditions A Menace |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19490426-1.2.62? |access-date=19 October 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=5 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref name=":15" /> Kampong Kheam Hock was listed for development in 1984; the village was demolished and its residents were moved to Housing and Development Board flats in Potong Pasir and Hougang.<ref name=":15" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 June 1984 |title=Land with biggest spread of cemeteries to be cleared |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/singmonitor19840604-2.2.5.9? |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 October 2024 |work=Singapore Monitor |pages=4 |via=NewspaperSG |quote=The land covered with possibly the biggest spread of Chinese cemeteries in Singapore near Kheam Hock Road and Jalan Hawa in Bukit Timah is listed for development.}}</ref>
In 2017, Singapore Heritage Society released a digital, self-guided trail of Bukit Brown Cemetery called the Bukit Brown Wayfinder. The guide divided a small section of the cemetery into three blocks with signs to direct users to 25 gravestones.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hio |first=Lester |date=19 November 2017 |title=Follow new trail to Bukit Brown landmarks |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/follow-new-trail-to-bukit-brown-landmarks |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518041415/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/follow-new-trail-to-bukit-brown-landmarks |archive-date=18 May 2024 |access-date=19 October 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>{{Sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017}} Two non-operational Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations are located in the Bukit Brown area; Mount Pleasant MRT station, which is planned to be opened together with the Mount Pleasant planning area, and Bukit Brown MRT station, which will open once Bukit Brown Cemetery has been completely redeveloped.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ng |first=Keng Gene |date=23 November 2021 |title=Mount Pleasant, Marina South MRT stations to open in tandem with housing developments |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/mount-pleasant-marina-south-mrt-stations-to-open-in-tandem-with-housing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250408221649/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/mount-pleasant-marina-south-mrt-stations-to-open-in-tandem-with-housing |archive-date=8 April 2025 |access-date=19 October 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=16 November 2005 |title=Stages 4 & 5 of Circle Line |url=http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/proj_rail_ccl4n5.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219045204/http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/proj_rail_ccl4n5.htm |archive-date=19 December 2011 |access-date=19 October 2024 |website= |publisher=Land Transport Authority}}</ref>
=== Mount Pleasant Cemetery === {{For|other cemeteries with the same name|Mount Pleasant Cemetery (disambiguation){{!}}Mount Pleasant Cemetery}} Mount Pleasant Cemetery, also known as Kopi Sua Cemetery or Coffee Hill Cemetery,<ref name=":15" /> is located nearby Thomson Road, by the Old Police Academy. Formerly a part of Bukit Brown Cemetery, it was separated from Bukit Brown when the government exhumed six hundred graves in 1993 to widen the Pan Island Expressway,<ref name=":23">{{Cite news |date=15 March 1993 |title=Exhumation to start soon |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19930315-1.2.48.13.4 |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=39 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> causing Mount Pleasant Cemetery to be formed. Mount Pleasant Cemetery experiences less visitors annually and is less well-maintained. The cemetery has a pathway leading inside and is popular amongst paranormal groups due to reported sightings of the Pontianak, a mythical creature from Malay folklore that is said to be a vengeful female spirit, originating from women who died during childbirth. Sightings of the Pontianak have been disputed to be monkeys living in the surrounding area.<ref name=":17">{{Cite news |last=Chan |first=Crystal |date=27 November 2004 |title=Hardly a 'pleasant' final resting place |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20041127-1.2.46.17 |url-access=subscription |access-date=31 January 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=14 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref>
The Mount Pleasant Cemetery is bordered by the Mount Pleasant planning area to the east. In November 2021, a portion of Mount Pleasant Cemetery was planned to be redeveloped by the Housing and Development Board, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and the Singapore Land Authority to expand the Mount Pleasant planning area. An access road from the Pan Island Expressway was planned to have been built that would have cut through the cemetery. However, the road was later adjusted to be built elsewhere following an environmental evaluation, leaving Mount Pleasant Cemetery unaffected.<ref name=":16" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ng |first=Keng Gene |date=23 November 2021 |title=Planned road alignment for Mt Pleasant housing estate changed following environmental study |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/planned-road-alignment-for-mt-pleasant-housing-estate-changed-following |access-date=5 December 2025 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>
=== Seh Ong Cemetery === Seh Ong Cemetery was first established sometime in the 1870s. The land which the cemetery is located on was bought by Ong Hew Ko, Ong Ewe Hai, and Ong Chong Chew, who gave it to the Seh Ong Kongsi, a Hokkien clan.<ref>{{Harvnb|Song|1923|p=161}}</ref> The Seh Ong Kongsi used the land as a village for Chinese immigrants before also coming to use the land as a cemetery by the 1870s.<ref name=":21">{{Cite news |last=Zaccheus |first=Melody |date=9 October 2016 |title=Found: Tomb of pioneer who donated land for Greater Bukit Brown cemetery |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tomb-hunter-locates-pioneers-grave-after-five-year-search |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704132553/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tomb-hunter-locates-pioneers-grave-after-five-year-search |archive-date=4 July 2022 |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> In 1919, the Municipal Commission acquired the land.<ref name=":1" /> In 1998, the Land Transport Authority exhumed some graves from Seh Ong Cemetery for upgrading works to the Pan Island Expressway.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 April 1998 |title=Graves to make way for PIE project |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19980405-1.2.49.2? |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=29 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> The total amount of graves between Bukit Brown and Seh Ong is estimated to be around 200,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Ian |date=2017-04-04 |title=Here Lies a Graveyard Where 'East and West Came Together' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/asia/here-lies-a-graveyard-where-east-and-west-came-together.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319213342/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/asia/here-lies-a-graveyard-where-east-and-west-came-together.html |archive-date=19 March 2023 |access-date=2025-02-19 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
== Traditional practices == thumb|Coloured papers placed on a grave during the Qingming Festival|alt=A Chinese grave in a cemetery; there are coloured papers laid around it
Due to Bukit Brown Cemetery's high Chinese population, traditional Chinese festivals are held there annually; these include the Qingming Festival, during which traffic police are required to regulate the high traffic flow into the cemetery.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 March 1961 |title=Cheng Beng traffic plans |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19610325-1.2.40 |access-date=13 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=4 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 April 1972 |title='Avoid traffic hold-up on Cheng Beng' call |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19720403-1.2.32 |access-date=13 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=7 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 April 1960 |title=The big trek to the cemetery |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19600403-1.2.59 |access-date=6 June 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=11 |via=NewspaperSG}} </ref> During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government advised visitors to Bukit Brown Cemetery and Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium to be in groups of four and to refrain from taking with them elderly family members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heng |first=Terence |date=5 April 2021 |title=Commentary: Why crowds will keep heading to the cemeteries and columbaria during Qing Ming |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/qing-ming-columbarium-cementeries-visiting-hours-mandai-crowded-193166 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212012021/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/qing-ming-columbarium-cementeries-visiting-hours-mandai-crowded-193166 |archive-date=12 December 2024 |access-date=24 September 2024 |website= |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |language=en}}</ref>
The Hungry Ghost Festival is another festival that is usually performed by representatives of Chinese temples who, despite having no relation to the deceased, perform rituals and make offerings to them. The representatives regard this as a form of charity because the deceased do not have descendants to perform the rituals for them.<ref>{{Harvnb|Siew|2013|p=35}}</ref> The Winter Clothes Festival, held during the tenth Lunar Month, is also held at Bukit Brown Cemetery. Although less commonly practised, it has been held annually since 1996 by the Heng Kang Tian Temple.{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|p=10}}
== Environment ==
=== Vegetation === thumb|An overgrown bench and table|alt=A bench and table covered in overgrown vegetation
Due to its dense vegetation, Bukit Brown Cemetery helps to prevent flooding caused by surface runoff and serves as a carbon storage site. In a position paper, Singapore Heritage Society argued that the cemetery should be kept for these reasons. Other organisations requested that the government carry out "a comprehensive environmental impact assessment" of the cemetery;<ref>{{Harvnb|Goh|2014|pp=175–176}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Chong |first1=Terence |last2=Chua |first2=Ai Lin |last3=Lim |first3=Han She |last4=Yeo |first4=Kang Shua |last5=Goh |first5=Raymond |date=January 2012 |title=Position Paper on Bukit Brown |url=https://www.singaporeheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SHS_BB_Position_Paper.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827114346/https://www.singaporeheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SHS_BB_Position_Paper.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2024 |access-date=12 March 2025 |website= |publisher=Singapore Heritage Society }}</ref> the Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) also carried out a position paper.<ref name=":28" /> Plants in the cemetery grounds include ''Campnosperma auriculatum'' (terentang) and ''Macaranga gigantea'' (giant mahang).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Hua Chew |date=17 July 2015 |title=Biodiversity importance of Bt Brown |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/biodiversity-importance-of-bt-brown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123134109/https://www.bukitbrown.org/2015/07/biodiversity-importance-of-bt-brown.html |archive-date=23 January 2025 |access-date=18 October 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>
In the 1950s, Bukit Brown Cemetery was cleared of its vegetation, but soon became overgrown again.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barnard |first=Timothy P. |title=Nature Contained: Environmental Histories of Singapore |date=2014 |publisher=Project Muse |isbn=9789971697907 |pages=45}}</ref> The cemetery's vegetation has been described as a "neglected space" with an "unrecognisable landscape".<ref>{{Harvnb|Maddrell|2023|p=48}}</ref> In 2014, a bush fire broke out that spread to an area of about "1½ football fields" which took the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) two hours to put out.<ref name=":14" /> A study carried out from 2019 to 2022 by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) studied the plants at Bukit Brown Cemetery and surrounding cemeteries, referring to the entire area as Greater Bukit Brown. The area contained 233 species of plants, of which 158 were considered native. Of the 158 native species, 76 are considered nationally threatened. Plant species found at Greater Bukit Brown include:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jong |first=Ying Wei |date=18 November 2022 |title=A checklist of the vascular plant flora of Bukit Brown and Lau Sua, and suggestions for improving reporting practices in Biodiversity Impact Assessments |url=https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/NIS_S1_172-189.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318041812/https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/NIS_S1_172-189.pdf |archive-date=18 March 2025 |access-date=19 October 2024 |website=Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum |publisher=National University of Singapore}}</ref>{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|style=font-style: italic;| * Ailanthus integrifolia * Anodendron candolleanum * Discospermum malaccense * Hancea penangensis * Microcos tomentosa * Memecylon paniculatum * Piper baccatum * Prunus arborea * Salacia korthalsiana * Trigonachras acuta * Xylopia magna }}
=== Wildlife === {{See also|List of mammals of Singapore|list of birds of Singapore}} left|thumb|People on horseback at Bukit Brown Cemetery|alt=Two people on horseback travelling on a road Bukit Brown Cemetery is known for its wildlife, making it a popular location with photographers, nature lovers, and bird-watchers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Goh|2014|p=174}}</ref> The cemetery also serves as a green space for joggers, cyclists, and horse-riders, who are from the nearby Singapore Polo Club.<ref>{{Harvnb|Siew|2013|p=35}}</ref> In 2012, NSS recorded 90 resident and migrant birds, along with 48 species of other animals living at the cemetery.<ref>{{Harvnb|Maddrell|2023|p=47}}</ref> Mammals and birds seen at Bukit Brown Cemetery include the white-bellied woodpecker, the changeable hawk-eagle, the Sunda flying lemur, and the large flying fox.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Ng |first=Rachel |date=6 February 2023 |title=Wildlife photographer peeks behind the urban jungle of Singapore |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/paid-content-nature-walk-wildlife-photographer-peeks-behind-the-urban-jungle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250218113436/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/paid-content-nature-walk-wildlife-photographer-peeks-behind-the-urban-jungle |archive-date=18 February 2025 |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Margie |date=2012 |title=Nature News |url=https://www.nss.org.sg/newsletter/946318b0-1Nature%20News%20May%20and%20June%202012.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729224236/https://www.nss.org.sg/newsletter/946318b0-1Nature%20News%20May%20and%20June%202012.pdf |archive-date=29 July 2024 |archive-format=PDF |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Nature Society Singapore |page=7}}</ref>
From July 2012 to October 2012, LKCNHM studied fishes in two streams at Bukit Brown Cemetery, called Bukit Brown Stream and Mount Pleasant Stream. Eleven species of fish were found, of which four were considered native. The native fish species were the walking catfish, the Asian swamp eel, the ''Oxyeleotris marmorata'', and the Penang betta.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tan |first1=Jonathan Y. H. |last2=Tan |first2=Lowell H. C. |last3=Quek |first3=Glenn |last4=Lim |first4=Valerie S. F. |last5=Heok |first5=Hui Tan |date=27 September 2013 |title=The Fish Fauna of Bukit Brown, Singapore |url=https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/app/uploads/2017/06/2013nis229-237.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530011737/https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/app/uploads/2017/06/2013nis229-237.pdf |archive-date=30 May 2025 |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum |publisher=National University of Singapore}}</ref> Additionally, from August 2022 to June 2023, six species of frogs were recorded from the Mount Pleasant Stream. The six frogs were the bengal toad, the crab-eating frog, the Malayan giant frog, the four-lined tree frog, the Mukhlesur's chorus frog, and the American bullfrog.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Xuanhe |last2=Tam |first2=Odelia |date=28 June 2023 |title=Biodiversity Record: Frogs of Mount Pleasant stream at Bukit Brown |url=https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/NIS-2023-0060.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250317104224/https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/NIS-2023-0060.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2025 |access-date=10 March 2025 |journal=Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum |volume=16 |publisher=National University of Singapore |doi=10.26107/NIS-2023-0060}}</ref>
The area also serves as a foraging ground and habitat for wildlife. Animals such as the ''Pseudotajuria donatana'' and the Sunda flying lemur from MacRitchie Forest, which is located north of Bukit Brown Cemetery, use the area as an extended foraging ground. Bukit Brown Cemetery also serves to connect animals travelling from MacRitchie to other areas such as Mount Faber, Labrador, and Telok Blangah, which are located south of Bukit Brown.{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|pp=5–6}}
== Graves ==
=== Architecture and design of graves === Graves at Bukit Brown Cemetery were built with a variety of materials from Europe and East Asia, and display traditional building techniques of the 1920s and 1930s. The structure of a grave commonly began with brick, that was typically sourced from Alexandra Brickworks or Jurong Brickworks, before being coated with plaster from Shanghai, China, although it was costly.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=178}}</ref> Bricks from Malaysia's Kluang and Indonesia's Batam were also commonly used.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|pp=178–179}}</ref> The material culture of graves at Bukit Brown Cemetery show Singapore's position as a global hub at the time, along with the changing tastes of the Chinese community and their incorporation of European and Asian influences.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Chong|Bak|2019|pp=180–181}}</ref>
Graves also represented the varying social statuses of decedents through their decorations. For example, decorative tiles from Europe and Japan were imported by more wealthy Chinese. Other tiles, known as Peranakan tiles, were named after early Chinese immigrants to Singapore, who contributed to Straits Chinese culture. Graves were traditionally built on the sides of hills due to ''feng shui'' practices by the Chinese.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10">{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=179}}</ref> The decorative tiles were usually made of ceramic, and sported art nouveau or art deco-like floral designs. Early tiles used came from the United Kingdom and Belgium, with later cheaper tiles originating from Japan. Such tiles were originally popular for the use of house decoration. Encaustic tiles originating from England were often used as domestic flooring in households, leading to their use in the flooring of a tomb's terrace.<ref name=":10" />
Wealthier families would feature inscribed stone panels, stone reliefs, and statues by their graves. The materials for these structures came from quarries in Singapore or Malaysia. Additionally, some graves utilised white stone, which was used for statues, and green stone, used for intricate reliefs, that originated from Fujian, China. Shops selling sculpted stones imported from China were commonly found along Kheam Hock Road. Marble headstones with lead lettering imported from Europe were used for those with more "Western tastes". Some graves have oval-shaped ceramic portraits of the deceased on the headstone. Techniques for making these portraits emerged from France; this style reached Singapore around the early 20th-century. Samples of these portraits show that, despite early pieces arriving from Europe, local businesses were eventually able to recreate them.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|pp=179–180}}</ref><gallery caption="Architecture of graves"> File:Carvings of the 24 paragons of filial piety (11545024973).jpg|Carvings of the ''24 Paragons of Filial Piety'' on a grave File:Gravestone of Oon Chim Neo, Seh Ong Cemetery, Singapore - 20130728-03.JPG|Tiles on the side of a grave with floral designs on them File:Gravestones of Ong Sam Leong and family members, Bukit Brown Cemetery, Singapore - 20110326-09.JPG|A Chinese stone lion statue on a grave File:Sepoy statue, Bukit Brown Cemetery, Singapore - 20110326-01.jpg|alt=A statue of a sepoy by a grave|A sepoy statue standing by a grave; these statues were believed to act as guardians to the deceased<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 January 1993 |title=Sikh guards at Chinese tombs 'show there were strong links' |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19930112-1.2.32.10 |access-date=22 December 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=23 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> File:Bukit Brown Cemetery, Singapore - 20111210-06.JPG|Grave built out of brick </gallery>
=== Individual gravestones ===
==== Gravestone of Oh Sian Guan and Yap Suan Neo ==== thumb|The gravestone of Oh and Yap|alt=An ornate Chinese gravestone {{family name hatnote|Oh ''/'' Yap|lang=Chinese}}
{{Interlanguage link|Oh Sian Guan|lt=|zh|胡先愿}} ({{Zh|c=胡先愿}}; 1874–1943) and Yap Suan Neo ({{Zh|c=葉璇娘|links=no}}; 1876–1950) were born in Tong'an and Xiamen, respectively. Oh was a banker of Hokkien descent who moved to Singapore in 1907, running a business at Telok Ayer Street called Chin Kiat with Tan Tiong Sing. He later became the founding director of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. His great-grandson is novelist Kevin Kwan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jose |first=M. J. |date=17 August 2018 |title=The Real-Life Story Of Kevin Kwan That Inspired ''Crazy Rich Asians'' |url=https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/arts/my-crazy-rich-asians-author-kevin-kwan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530011338/https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/arts/my-crazy-rich-asians-author-kevin-kwan |archive-date=30 May 2025 |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=Tatler Asia |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|pp=87–88}} On the left side of their gravestone, there is a carving of the Chinese legend "Madam White Snake Rescues Xu Xian" on the tomb arm. It shows Bai Suzhen approaching the temple where Xu Xian is being held. On the right side of the gravestone, it shows a carving of Chinese folklore character Nezha fighting the Dragon Prince, Ao Guang, at his palace.{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|pp=89–91}}
==== Gravestone of Ong Sam Leong and his family ==== thumb|The gravestone of Ong and his family, the largest gravestone in Bukit Brown Cemetery|alt=A large, ornate Chinese gravestone {{family name hatnote|Ong|lang=Chinese}} Ong Sam Leong ({{Zh|c=王三龙|links=no}}; 1857–1918) was a Straits-born businessman of Perankan descent. Ong owned multiple rubber plantations and sawmills and was known for signing a contract to supply workers to help mine phosphate at Christmas Island, Australia, which made him wealthy.{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|pp=102–103}}<ref>{{harvnb|Tsang|2007|pp=79–80}}</ref> Ong's gravestone is a larger plot located on higher ground; poorer people were given smaller plots by the foot of hills. The Ong family had bought the large plot on the highest hill in the cemetery before it was acquired by the government.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chong|Bak|2019|p=174}}</ref>
About the size of ten three-room Housing and Development Board flats, Ong's gravestone is the largest in Bukit Brown Cemetery.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Alan |date=3 November 2011 |title=Bukit Brown deserves bustle of life |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20111103-1.2.33.4.2 |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 January 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=30 |via=NewspaperSG |quote=The largest tomb there – the double one of Mr Ong Sam Leong (1857 to 1918) and his wife – is 10 times the size of a three-room Housing Board flat.}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> Ong was buried with his wife Yeo Hean Neo (楊賢娘), his sons Ong Boon Tat (王文達) and Ong Peng Hock (王平福), and their wives Gwee Soon Neo (魏順娘) and Lim Yeok Quan (林育環), respectively. Ong and Yeo are buried in the main tomb in the centre whilst his sons and their wives are buried in two separate tombs located on the left and right of Ong's tomb.{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|pp=102–103}} Ong's gravestone is typical of Chinese practices. The granite tiling of Ong's gravestone in the shape of a large half moon is known as the Bright Hall and, according to ''feng shui'' practices, gathers qi (气, pronounced "chee") to it. His tomb has two pairs of stone lions and statues of sepoys on either side to "guard" his tomb. Carvings on his gravestone include the story of Guan Lu helping to extend Zhao Yan's lifespan and some of the 24 stories of the Filial Pieties.{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|pp=97–101}}
==== Gravestone of Lee Hoon Leong ==== thumb|The gravestone of Lee|alt=A Chinese gravestone {{family name hatnote|Lee|lang=Chinese}}
Lee Hoon Leong ({{zh|c=李雲龍|links=no}}; 1871–1942) was a Straits-born Chinese businessman. Lee worked as a pharmacist and purser for the Heap Eng Moh Shipping Line. A member of the political Lee family, he was the father of Lee Chin Koon, grandfather of the first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and great-grandfather of the third prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Corfield |first=Justin |title=Historical Dictionary of Singapore |date=2011 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810873872 |pages=141–142 |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|p=58}} On his gravestone, his date of death is recorded as 2602, referring to the Japanese calendar's Koki Year. Gravestones recording the date of death using the Koki calendar are common on gravestones built during the Japanese occupation of Singapore, such as Lee's.{{sfn|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|p=59}}
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== Notable burials == Bukit Brown is believed to be the largest Chinese cemetery outside China.<ref name=":5" /> It is also the burial place of many of Singapore's earliest pioneers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sajan |first=Chantal |date=13 September 2020 |title=Heritage activists: Bukit Brown more than just a cemetery; it's a 'living museum' of Singapore's pioneers |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/living-museum-of-the-dead |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406114428/https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/living-museum-of-the-dead |archive-date=6 April 2024 |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lock |first=Clara |date=18 March 2021 |title=On the trail of secret spots |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/on-the-trail-of-secret-spots |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250414224448/https://www.straitstimes.com/life/on-the-trail-of-secret-spots |archive-date=14 April 2025 |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref> Notable burials include: * Tan Lark Sye (1897–1972), Singaporean businessman<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 September 1972 |title=Simple funeral for Lark Sye on Sunday |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19720913-1.2.53 |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=10 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Ong Boon Tat (1888–1941), founder of New World Amusement Park<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 July 1941 |title=Funeral Announcement |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19410722-1.2.3.1? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=2 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Lim Chong Pang (1904–1956), Singaporean businessman and racehorse owner<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 July 1956 |title=Colony Horse Owner Dies |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/sundaystandard19560722-1.2.9? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=Sunday Standard |pages=1 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Tan Kim Ching (1829–1892), Singaporean politician and businessman<ref name=":3" /> * Cheang Hong Lim (1825–1893), Chinese opium merchant and philanthropist<ref name=":3" /> * Tan Kheam Hock (1862–1922), Singaporean politician<ref name=":2" /> * See Tiong Wah (1886–1940), Singaporean businessman and politician<ref name=":2" /> * Gan Teong Tat (1878–1969), Malaysian merchant and politician<ref name=":2" /> * Lee Choo Neo (1895–1947), Singaporean physician<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 September 1947 |title=Death |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19470909-1.2.66? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=6 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Tay Koh Yat (1880–1957), Singaporean entrepreneur<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 February 1957 |title=100 cars in bus owner's funeral procession |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19570204-1.2.89? |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=7 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Tan Ean Kiam (1881–1943), Hokkien businessman and founder of OCBC Bank<ref name=":6" /> * Chew Boon Lay (1851 or 1852–1933), Chinese businessman and namesake of Boon Lay<ref>{{Harvnb|Tsang|2007|p=20}}</ref><ref name=":20">{{Harvnb|Siew|2013|p=27}}</ref> * Gan Eng Seng (1844–1899), Chinese philanthropist<ref name=":20" /> * Koh Hoon Teck (1878–1956), Peranakan musician<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goh |first=Philip |date=16 February 1956 |title='Sing Pantuns For Me At My Funeral' |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19560216.2.161 |access-date=4 September 2024 |work=The Straits Times |pages=9 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Khoo Kay Hian (1878–1966), Singaporean broker and founder of UOB-Kay Hian<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boland |first=Geoffrey |date=26 January 1966 |title=Leading Singapore share broker dies, 81 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitsbudget19660126-1.2.98? |access-date=11 January 2025 |work=The Straits Budget |pages=14 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Chew Geok Leong (died 1939), Chinese physician and former Qing dynasty official<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kwan |first=Chooi Tow |date=5 January 1993 |title=Grave guarded by statues of two Sikhs belongs to Chinese physician |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19930105-1.2.32.2? |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=20 |via=NewspaperSG}}</ref> * Tan Boo Liat (1881–1934), Singaporean businessman and philanthropist<ref>{{Harvnb|Singapore Heritage Society|2017|p=81}}</ref>
== See also == * Former cemeteries in Singapore * Bukit Brown MRT station, a Mass Rapid Transit station named after Bukit Brown Cemetery
==References== ===Notes=== {{notelist}}
===Citations=== {{reflist}}
=== Sources === {{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}} * {{cite web |archive-format=PDF |publisher=Singapore Heritage Society |url=https://www.singaporeheritage.org/bukitbrownwayfinder/Bukit-Brown-Wayfinder-Guide.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924180550/https://www.singaporeheritage.org/bukitbrownwayfinder/Bukit-Brown-Wayfinder-Guide.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2024 |title=Bukit Brown Wayfinder: A Self-Guided Walking Trail |date=16 November 2017 |ref={{sfnref|Singapore Heritage Society|2017}}}} * {{Cite book |last1=Chong |first1=Guan Kwa |title=A General History of the Chinese in Singapore |last2=Bak |first2=Lim Kua |date=21 June 2019 |publisher=World Scientific Publishing Company |isbn=9789813277656 |doi=10.1142/11195 }} * {{Cite book |last=Goh |first=Daniel P. S. |title=Worlding Multiculturalisms: The Politics of Inter-Asian Dwelling |date=20 November 2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781317671664}} * {{Cite journal |last=Huang |first=Jianli |date=December 2014 |title=Resurgent Spirits of Civil Society Activism: Rediscovering the Bukit Brown Cemetery in Singapore |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26527673 |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |publisher=Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=87 |issue=307 |pages=21–45 |via=JSTOR}} * {{Cite book |last=Maddrell |first=Avril |title=New Perspectives on Urban Deathscapes |date=14 February 2023 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=9781802202397}} * {{Cite book |last1=Savage |first1=Victor R. |title=Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics |date=15 October 2022 |edition=4th |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=9789815009231 |last2=Yeoh |first2=Brenda |author-link2=Brenda Yeoh}} * {{Cite book |last=Siew |first=William |author-link=William S. W. Lim |title=Public Space In Urban Asia |date=16 December 2013 |publisher=World Scientific Publishing Company |isbn=9789814578349 |doi=10.1142/9033 }} * {{Cite book |last=Song |first=Ong Siang |author-link=Song Ong Siang |title=One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore |title-link=One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore |publisher=J. Murray |year=1923}} * {{Cite book |last=Tsang |first=Susan |title=Discover Singapore: The City's History & Culture Redefined |date=2007 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=9789812613653}} * {{Cite book |last=Yeoh |first=Brenda |author-link=Brenda Yeoh |title=Contesting Space in Colonial Singapore: Power Relations and the Urban Built Environment |date=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9789971692681 |series= |volume=22 |publication-date=September 1991 |pages=282–311 |chapter=The Control of "Sacred" Space: Conflicts over the Chinese Burial Grounds in Colonial Singapore, 1880-1930 |jstor=20071337}} {{refend}}
== External links == * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{Commons category-inline|Seh Ong Cemetery}} * [https://www.roots.gov.sg/en/resources-landing/online-exhibitions/bukit-brown-cemetery Roots article] on Bukit Brown Cemetery{{Portal bar|Singapore|Architecture}}
Category:Cemeteries in Singapore Category:Chinese cemeteries Category:1922 establishments in British Malaya Category:Cemeteries established in the 1920s