Noyelles-sur-Mer Chinese Cemetery, World War I memorial cemetery in Noyelles-sur-Mer, France

This cemetery in Noyelles-sur-Mer holds 842 graves of Chinese workers who died during World War I while supporting the British military effort. The grounds feature organized rows of graves set in a well-maintained landscape with clear pathways that make navigation straightforward for visitors.

The site was established in 1921 to honor Chinese workers who died during their work assignments along the Western Front. A major cause of death among these laborers was the Spanish flu pandemic that swept through populations during and after the war.

The entrance arch bears a Chinese inscription chosen by Shi Zhaoji, then Chinese ambassador to Britain, commemorating the sacrifice of 1,900 Chinese workers. Since 2002 the cemetery has hosted France's Qing Ming ceremony, organised by the Council for the Integration of Chinese Communities in France. The headstones carry Chinese characters and, rarely, an English name or service number.

The cemetery lies about 1,050 m east of the parish church of Noyelles-sur-Mer, near the hamlet of Nolette. Lion statues given by the People's Republic of China stand at the entrance of the street leading to the site. The flat lawn and parallel rows of white marble headstones make orientation easy; the entrance arch and wall carry panels naming 41 missing workers.

This is Europe's largest Chinese burial ground and preserves memory of a workforce whose contribution to the war is often overlooked. The recognition of these workers demonstrates how the conflict reached far beyond the European continent itself.