In his second year of high school Lee went to Taipei, where an older brother worked as a mechanic. He had only told his father that he was going for a visit, but with his brother's support he secretly took the entrance exam at National Taiwan College of Arts, which offered five-year courses (corresponding to the three years of high school plus two years of junior college).
高職二年級時，李茂宗騙父親說要到台北找二哥玩，實則在二哥的支助下，偷偷地報考了五年制的國立藝專。