Li Liu was born in Liaoning Province in the Northeast of China. When she was six years old she began her acrobatic training, and the following year she was chosen to attend The Chinese National Circus School in the capitol city of Beijing. While in Beijing she trained for eight hours a day until the age of 16.

In 1984 her artistic cycling act won a gold medal at the prestigious Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris, France.