XI'AN INCIDENT - INTRO

In 1936, the world was at the edge of a big war. Xi'an Incident happened during before World War Two.

President Jiang Jieshi arrived in the city of Xi'an on December 4, 1936 to urge General Zhang Xueliang and the army to attack the Communist Party, who just finished their Long March. Zhang was a patriot who did not want to see Chinese people kill each other, so he kidnapped Jiang on December 12. The media quickly spread the news globally. Zhang announced the "Eight Avocations" in order to push Jiang into fighting against Japan instead of the Communists. Representatives from Communist and Nationalist Parties arrived in Xi’an shortly after the incident to start negotiations.

Good results appeared: Zhang released Jiang on Christmas Day. However, the young general was sent to jail immediately after.

Because these two factors communicated, Nationalists and Communists formed an anti-Japanese alliance to defend the nation in World War Two. The incident not only saved Communist Party in China, but also caused a Chinese Civil War and the Cold War.

For more details, go to Characters, Cause, December 12, 1936, Meeting and Result.