Li Zhilang first started his footballing career with Guangzhou Evergrande's youth academy as a young player.

[1] The subsequent manager Lee Jang-soo handed Li his debut for Guangzhou on 25 April 2010 in an away draw against Chengdu Blades.

[3] While Li may have been part of the squad that saw significant investment as Guangzhou won multiple league titles he saw very little playing time.

[6] He would then go on to be a vital member of the team for several seasons until they gained promotion to the top tier after coming second within the division at the end of the 2021 China League One campaign, before he decided to retire.

[7] Li was called up into the Chinese under-20 national team's squad by Su Maozhen in June 2009.