 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Zvisinei, pashure porufu rwaMao muna 1976 uye kubuda kwaDeng Xiaoping, Li akawanazve kuva nhengo yebato rake. Muna 1982, akasarudzwa kuCentral Committee yeParty, uye muna 1983 akava mutevedzeri wemutungamiriri weDhipatimendi reSangano reCommunist Party, basa rine simba rakatarisana nekusimudzirwa, kudzikiswa, uye kuunganidzwa kwevakuru vakuru mubato. Zvisinei, muna 1984, akamanikidzwa kurega basa iri pashure pokunge asingadi kupa fariro chaiyo kuvana vavakuru vakuru, maererano neNew York Times. Li akaramba achishora kuvakwa kweThree Gorges Dam mudziva rose re1980s, achishanda nemuchengeti wezvakatipoteredza Dai Qing. Muna 1989, Li pachake akapupurira kupondwa kwoutsinyemunharaunda yeMuxidi yeBeijing panguva yekuratidzira kweTiananmen Square, achisimbisa kushora kwake bapiro remutongi webato. Akanga ari mubatsiri wevagadziri vakakurumbira vakaita saZhao Ziyang naHu Yaobang. 