When the dominant social trend of resisting against Japanese aggression to save the nation was gradually taking shape in northwestern China, the main military forces in this area maintained relative balance, which provided a favorable objective situation for the start and peaceful settlement of the Xi′an Incident. Accordingly the Xi′an Incident and its peaceful settlement promoted the historical turning and steady development of political situation in northwestern China in a short period of time. Starting from the incident, people in northwestern China had their view of the nation strengthened and gradually developed their homeland into one of the main antiJapanese bases, which not only supported the antiJapanese war but also provided favorable conditions for the growth of the antiJapanese democratic forces headed by the Communist Party of China. To sum up, the evolution of political situation in northwestern China in pre and postXi′an Incident days shows that a joint development cannot be actualized unless the whole nation is united.

Xi′an Incident; political situation in northwestern China; western China development