By 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War had commenced and Xie joined the war effort. She created the Hunan Women's War Zone Service Corps, which provided first aid on the front lines, and continued her work in propaganda. The Corps followed the Chinese troops as they retreated along to Yangzi River into Xi'an. By 1943, Xie had met and married Jia Yizhen (), with whom she had a son and daughter. During this time she also edited the monthly magazine "Huanghe," and published essays, fiction, and more autobiographical writings with various presses. In addition, she published the "New War Diary" (), which was an updated version of her previous "War Diary", in 1938.