Bozhong Li was born in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 1949. He graduated with a Ph.D degree in History from Xiamen University in 1985, becoming one of the first group of Ph.D students after the Chinese mainland resumed the academic degree system. He is a chair professor in humanity studies of Peking University, professor of Department of History of Peking University, consultant of National Center for Economic Research at Tsinghua University, as well as distinguished professor of School of History of Capital Normal University. He has also been the guest professor or visiting scholar to Harvard University, University of Michigan, UCLA, MIT, California Institute of Technology, U.S. Congress Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the US National Humanities Center, Cambridge University, London School of Economics, the University of Tokyo, Keio University and French School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS).