Li Qingshan was born in Hengyang, Hunan, in April 1965. He studied chemistry at Hengyang Normal Junior College from 1981 to 1984, after which he worked as a secondary school teacher at Jianxiang Diesel Engine Factory in Hengyang.[2] In 1987, he entered Shanxi University to pursue a master's degree in inorganic chemistry, graduating in 1990. He later obtained a Doctor of Science degree in inorganic chemistry from Nanjing University.[3]
Li began his academic career at Shanxi Medical University, where he worked as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry. He was promoted to professor in 1997 and later became deputy dean and then dean of the School of Pharmacy. During this period, he also conducted international academic exchanges, including serving as a visiting professor at the Italian National Research Council in Rome and undertaking postdoctoral research at the Technical University of Lisbon in Portugal.[4]
From 2003, Li served as assistant president of Shanxi Medical University while concurrently holding the position of dean of the School of Pharmacy.[5] In 2013, he entered government service as vice director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Education.[5] In October 2016, he was appointed president of Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (later Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine), and subsequently became president of the university.[4]
Li has been active in the Jiusan Society since joining in August 1998. He rose to become chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee and, in 2017, was elected to the Central Standing Committee of the Jiusan Society.[1] In January 2018, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, while continuing to hold leadership roles within the Jiusan Society.[6]