In August 1878, he was appointed the commissioner of China to Germany and later Austria-Hungary, Netherlands and Italy after his predecessor Liu Xihong was recalled to the imperial court.

During Sino-French War, Li actively involved in the delivery of the battleship Chinese ironclad Dingyuan from Germany to China.

[6] In 1881, Li visited Leiden University, Netherlands and met with German scholar Johann Joseph Hoffmann.

When Chinese cruiser Jiyuan's construction was completed, rumors in Beijing spread and Li was accused of embezzlement of government funds.

The diary is one of the few Qing dynasty historical documents that contains a detailed description of the Western society during the late 19th century.