Li was born in Beijing, China in 1976 and grew up in Chengdu. When she was 12, her father moved to the US; when she was 16, she and her mother joined him in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey.[10] She graduated from Parsippany High School in 1995,[10][11] where she was inducted to the Hall of Fame of Parsippany High School in 2017.[12]