Li was born Li Ruilin () in Ji County (now Jizhou District, Hengshui), Hebei, on 2 October 1930. He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in December 1945, and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in September 1947. He served in South Hebei Military District before serving in various administrative of Hubei province. In 1954, he was assigned to the Guangzhou Military Region. He moved up the ranks to become deputy chief of staff in 1983 and chief of staff in 1985. In April 1990, he became deputy commander, rising to commander in October 1992.
