Li Fengji
It is not known when Li Zhongyan was born. According to his biographies in the official histories of Tang Dynasty, the "Old Book of Tang" and the "New Book of Tang", he was from the same branch of the Li family — the "Guzang Branch" (姑臧房) — as the chancellors Li Kui and Li Fengji, and was two generations below Li Kui and one generation below Li Fengji, although the family tree for the Greater Guzang Branch in the "New Book of Tang" did not mention Li Zhongyan or any of his male-line ancestors. It was said that Li Zhongyan was tall, handsome, charismatic, well-spoken, dexterous, and good at reading people's emotions. He passed the imperial examinations in the "Jinshi" (進士) class; thereafter, he served as an assistant teacher at the imperial university, before serving at as a staff member to the military governor ("Jiedushi") of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan).