His leadership and military acumen quickly earned him recognition, leading to his involvement in significant historical events, including the 1911 Revolution that ended over two hundred years of Qing rule in China.

Li's role in the revolution, particularly his reluctant yet crucial leadership of the Wuchang Uprising, established him as a key figure in the new Republic.

His first presidency (1916-1917) ended abruptly due to a coup by the warlord Zhang Xun, who attempted to restore the Qing Dynasty.

Li died in Tianjin, leaving behind a legacy of cautious yet principled leadership during one of China's most turbulent periods.

A native of Huangpi, Hubei, he was the son of a Qing veteran of the Taiping Rebellion named Li Chaoxiang (Chinese: 黎朝相).

Li was well respected, had supported the Railway Protection Movement, and knew English, which would be useful in dealing with foreign concerns.

He was reportedly dragged from hiding under his wife's bed and forced at gunpoint to be the provisional military governor of Hubei despite killing several of the rebels.

While Li commanded the rebel army, Sun Yat-sen of the Revolutionary Alliance became the first provisional president in Nanjing on 1 January 1912.

A negotiation made Sun step down in favor of Yuan Shikai as president with Li keeping his vice-presidency.

Yuan could never fully trust Li because he wasn't a protégé within the Beiyang Army's inner circle and because of his past association with the revolutionaries.

He refused for fear of his life but he also declined the aristocratic title of Prince granted by Yuan in the Empire of China (1915–16),[1] a decision which would help his standing later on.

Zhang then proceeded with a move that would undermine most of his support when he attempted to restore Emperor Puyi and the Qing dynasty on 1 July.

On 17 July, distraught from recent events, Li officially resigned from office and moved to Tianjin in retirement.

He organized the "Able Men Cabinet" consisting of prestigious experts but it became undone when he arrested the finance minister for graft after examining rumours and circumstantial evidence; a court threw out the charges.