The college is named after Mr. Lim Nee Soon, who in the 1920s was the king of the rubber industry in Singapore . In Chinese, "Yi" means "high morals and principles" and "Shun" means "not hindered by obstacles". The college takes this name for these reasons and because of the pioneering spirit of Mr Lim.

The land where our college stands was once a fruit orchard and fish pond. The architectural design of the college blends, in the words of the architect Meng Ta-Cheng. "Today's technology and yesterday's traditions" within a rustic setting.

The college began operating with only 634 students led by 34 pioneering teachers. As the college was taking shape, the then Minister of Education, Dr. Tony Tan, and other officals from Ministry of Education visited the building site. The college buildings were completed by December 1986 and the college was handed over to our first principal, Mr Francis Wu. The college was offically declared open by Mr Tang Guan Seng, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education on 28 May 1988 .

The Torch represents our college Vision, Mission and Core Values. It is shaped from the initials of the Romanised Chinese form of the college name: Yi & Shun.

The crimson flame of the lighted torch is formed by the two individual S-shapes arranged and aligned to look as one. It represents Singapore society as a whole and is a reminder to our students to let the flame of loyalty burn strong in their hearts. Upon closer scrutiny, 4 smaller S-shapes can be discerned in the flame and they signify the 4 crucial partners in our students' education: the school itself, her students, her staff and all other significant stakeholders in education.

The staff of the torch which comprises five quadrangles projected outwards in the shape of the letter “Y” holds two significant meanings: firstly, it represents our five core values of Integrity, Loyalty, Responsibility, Compassion & Commitment. Secondly, it represents the faces of an opened box and connotes our students being freed from the confines of restrictive thinking to solve problems innovatively by thinking ”Out of the box” in order to establish new perspectives, visions and dreams.

Taken together, the flame and staff of the torch represent a flaming baton: a spirit of burning passion for the college which students will carry in their hearts and hand down to succeeding batches of YJCians.