He was born in the northeastern province of Liaoning and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1966.
In 1983, at age 39, he became the youngest mayor and Party secretary of a major city, of Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning. Three years later he became governor of the province.
As governor, mainland China's first expressway was built in the province, linking the cities of Shenyang and Dalian.
Li served briefly as the Party chief in the agricultural province of Henan in the 1990s, before moving to serve as Guangdong Party Secretary.
Li, again the youngest ever member, was promoted to the Politburo of the Communist Party of China in 1998. He currently holds no other official position.