Xu Beihong
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Li worked for the Nationalist government, creating many anti-Japanese posters and murals for war propaganda. He became a lecturer in Chinese painting at the National Academy of Arts exiled in Chongqing, in 1943. His talent was appreciated by Xu Beihong, who invited him to teach at the National Peping Academy of Arts in 1946. He was mentored by the renowned traditional artists Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong at the academy.