[6][7] He has been hailed as "an outstanding diplomat, scholar, educator and litterateur who made extraordinary contributions in multiple fields" and "an envoy connecting Chinese and Western cultures".

While in university, he finished his English-language autobiographical novella, "Shanghai Memories", and the English translation of the masterpieces of his ancestor Li E, a leader in poetry in the Qing Dynasty.

[6] Not only was Li considered a rare talent by Nanjing University professors, he also caught the attention of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, throughout the turbulent times, no matter how hard life was, he always supported and sided with Premier Zhou and had a strong faith in the Party.

[8] Li was an all-around sports star in his youth, excelling in soccer, basketball, the 100-meter sprint in track and field, and table tennis.

[3][14] Since his death, Li Shengjiao has been regarded as a competent scholarly diplomat, a knowledgeable and well-respected jurist, a brilliant all-rounder, a true patriot, and a man of integrity.

[5][15] Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Wang Ying called Li "an exceptionally outstanding diplomat as well as a prominent scholar".

[5] Former Chinese Ambassador to France Wu Jianmin depicted Li as "a man of decency and high professional competence, and was career-minded.

[7] Li was celebrated by the Shanghai Daily as "an outstanding diplomat, scholar, educator and litterateur, who made extraordinary contributions in multiple fields".

[6] Li's research results received high recognition from Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou and other top Chinese leaders.

[6][16] Li's contribution also included confirming demarcation lines on the map of China, and resolving boundary disputes on both land and sea with its neighbours.

His mother Tang Liling (唐丽玲) was a renowned pianist and actress, while his father, Li Linsi, was a prominent educator, diplomat and linguist, and a pioneering figure in China-Europe cultural exchanges in the 1930s.

His father also had the nickname "China's Mahatma Gandhi" and helped Jews to escape persecution and settle in Shanghai during the second world war.