Ji was born in Fugou County, Henan Province, at his ancestral home in Hancheng, Shaanxi.

[citation needed] Ji became famous across China for his presence at the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the battles that followed.

The Japanese Army had fabricated several similar incidents during that period in order to encroach on Chinese territory.

[3] On 23 August 1958, he was mortally wounded during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis bombardment of Kinmen by the People's Liberation Army.

His son, Ji Mingli, has made appearances to commemorate his father and memorialize the wars he fought in.