He was a prominent early 17th century Chinese merchant and political figure, originally from Quanzhou in Fujian province.
[1][2][3] Li operated out of Spanish Manila as the Captain of the Sangley Chinese there for a time before moving to Hirado, in Japan and becoming a part of the shuinsen trade, with a formal vermillion seal license from the Tokugawa shogunate.
[2] He served as head (Kapitan Cina) of the Chinese community in Hirado, and maintained a residence in the English sector of the city.
[3] Pedro Yan Shiqi reportedly been the second of command of Li Dan.
[4] Following his death, Li Dan's business was inherited by Zheng Zhilong, along with his role in the community.