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Distance / long-tail lookup

1 li to km

Li appears in Chinese travel writing, older texts and distance descriptions. Modern mainland li has a clean metric value.

Published 2026-05-17 Distance Source notes

Quick answer: 1 modern Chinese li = 0.5 km = 500 meters = about 0.311 miles.

Li1
Kilometers0.5 km
Meters500 m
Miles0.311 mi

01 /Examples and fit notes

Travel note

5 li means 2.5 km or about 1.55 miles.

Historical caution

Older li values may differ in historical sources.

Important note

This uses the modern mainland value.

Note 2

For old literature, check whether the source uses a historical value.

02 /How to use this lookup

This page answers one specific search intent. For a full table, reverse conversion, nearby units or a live calculator input, use the linked main converter.

When a Chinese listing includes both a label and a metric value, use the metric value first. Labels are useful shortcuts, but centimeters, kilograms and square meters are easier to verify.

03 /Modern Chinese unit context

For modern mainland China, distance pages use 1 li = 0.5 km. Older books and literary uses can be less exact, so treat the value as a reading aid when the source is historical.

For the broader chart and source caveats, read the Chinese units conversion chart. It explains when jin, catty, mu, li, chi, cun and related units are safe to convert with modern mainland values.

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