At the outbreak of the Great Cultural Revolution in the Spring of 1966, Li was a photographer for the Heilongjiang Daily. Lack of film, marauding Red Guards and a political dictate against photographing ‘negative’ scenes, all conspired to reduce him to the level of a propaganda functionary. Li, however, proved resourceful, taking care to keep his meticulously documented ‘negative’ negatives hidden under the floorboards of his one-room apartment. Risking his own safety, Li produced a detailed photographic record of the tumult, including numerous self-portraits. In doing so, he was not only recording history, but also leaving behind a trace of his own existence in those turbulent years.