It was converted into a Chinese cemetery during the 17th century by the head of the local Chinese community, Li Wei-ching, and is now the oldest Chinese cemetery outside China, covering 600 acres and comprising some 12,000 graves.
十七世紀時華人「甲必丹」（殖民統治下的華人首領）李為經把它闢為義山，成為今天中國以外最古老的華人墓園，佔地六百畝，約計有一萬兩千座墳塚。