?€ Li Ch'ing-chao was born into a scholarly family in Li-ch'eng, Shantung province. Her father Li Ko-fei (ca. 1047-1107) was of considerable learning and was admired by the literary great Su Shih (1037-1101). Ko-fei also befriended Chao Pu-chih and Chang Lei, members of Su's circle. Li Ch'ing-chao's mother was surnamed Wang and the granddaughter of the prime minister Wang Kung-ch'en (1012-1085), and she was also gifted at poetry and prose. Li Ch'ing-chao grew up in such a scholar-official atmosphere, experiencing what most women could not. Her creativity was fostered as she grew up unconfined by the rules imposed by traditional society on women. Her prose and poetry lacked an obvious feminine touch, revealing instead the qualities of a traditional intellectual. For this reason, some literary figures of her time even identified with her. However, she also criticized the poetry of such contemporary greats as Ou-yang-Hsiu and Su Shih, for which she was ridiculed by some later generations as being arrogant and disrespectful. Regardless of previous critiques, she nonetheless stands out for challenging the boundaries between the sexes as well as the established roles and notions in society.

?€ In 1101, she married the bronze-and-stone inscription scholar Chao Ming-ch'eng (1081-1129), who also came from an eminent family. They studied together and researched inscriptions on ancient bronzes and stelae, and they enjoyed their company in drink and composing poetry. Her husband died, however, in the turmoil of the invasion of Chin troops from the north. After the Sung was reestablished in the south, Li Ch'ing-chao wandered about, which accounts for why many of her works were lost with only a few scattered in the literary collections or notes and records of others.