Lithium–sulfur batteries are hindered by the low utilization of sulfur, short cycle life and poor rate capability which are severe challenges today. Herein we report a new kind of carbon–sulfur composites by infusing sulfur into the novel hierarchical carbon nanocages (hCNC) with high pore volume, network geometry and good conductivity. The designed S@hCNC composite with a high sulfur loading of 79.8wt% presents the large capacity, high-rate capability and long cycle life, which could shorten the charging time for mobile devices from hours to minutes. The excellent performance derives from the unique mesostructure of hCNC that enables the encapsulation of high-loading sulfur inside the carbon nanocages to alleviate polysulfide dissolution, meanwhile much enhance the electron conduction and Li-ion diffusion.