Li Kaixian's mother, surname Wang (王), was the daughter of a wealthy family from Xinjie, who married his father at age 19.

Li Kaixian received the degree of jinshi, the highest award for imperial examinations, and then entered the Ministry of Revenue.

In the late 1550s, Li Kaixian became interested in printing Yuan-dynasty qu, including sanqu and dramas.

Although the surviving edition of the anthology preserves only 6 plays, the preface states that Li Kaixian intended to print 16.

Li Kaixian also stated that he was the sponsor of the project and provided texts from his own personal collection, with assistance from his disciple Zhang Zishen, a native of Shanghe known for his expertise in northern qu, and Gao Yingqi (高應玘).