Xu Shen and his descendants had taken Li () to be their family name since then. Li's father, Li Wen'an (李文安; 1801–1855), obtained a jinshi degree in the imperial examination in 1838 – the same year as Zeng Guofan. Li Wen'an also served as a langzhong () in the Ministry of Justice. Li had one elder brother and four younger brothers; he was the second son in his family. His elder brother, Li Hanzhang (; 1821–1899), served as a xunfu and zongdu in a number of provinces. His third brother, Li Hezhang (; 1825–1880), served as a military officer. His fourth brother was Li Yunzhang (), his fifth brother was Li Fengzhang (), and his sixth brother was Li Zhaoqing (; 1835–1873). Li's first primary spouse, Lady Zhou (), bore him a son, Li Jingyu (), who died prematurely. Lady Zhou died of illness in 1861. Li's second primary spouse, Zhao Xiaolian (), bore him another son, Li Jingshu (). Li Jingshu inherited his father's peerage as Marquis Suyi (), but died early. Li Jingshu's son, Li Guojie (; 1881–1939), inherited the Marquis Suyi peerage and served in a number of official positions in the final years of the Qing dynasty. He became an official and industrialist in the Republic of China later. Li Guojie also married the daughter of Natong (; 1857–1925), who served in the Grand Secretariat and Grand Council. Li's secondary spouse, Lady Mo (), bore him three sons: Li Jingyuan (), Li Jingmai (; 1876–1938) and Li Jingjin (). Among the three, only Li Jingmai survived into adulthood. He served as the Qing Empire's Ambassador to Austria-Hungary and a Right Vice Secretary () in the Ministry of Civil Affairs (). Li had three daughters. One of them, Li Ju'ou (), married Zhang Peilun (1848–1903) and bore the father of the writer Eileen Chang (1920–1995). The other two daughters married Guo Enhou (), the magistrate of Weifang County, and Ren Dehe (), the zhushi () of Yixing County. Li also adopted Li Jingfang (1855–1934), a son of his sixth brother Li Zhaoqing. Li Jingfang served as the Qing Empire's Ambassador to Japan and a Left Vice Secretary () in the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (). Li's brother Li Hanzhang () had a daughter named Li Peisheng (). His grandson, Li Shiu Tong, would become a sexologist known for his work and relationship with his mentor and