During the 1958 Battle of the Taiwan Straits, instead of hiding from the danger, Li often went out to face the rain of bullets and artillery shells so he could paint pictures of the brave soldiers fighting against the Chinese Communists.
但在繪製的餘暇，他就像個獨行俠似的，各處寫生，他不怕苦，也不怕危險，甚至在八二三砲戰發生時，他仍然在槍林彈雨之下繪出了「八二三砲戰記實寫生」，「當時我什麼也沒想到，只想到『畫』，畫下這個偉大的戰役，畫下金門軍民堅苦卓絕的精神。」