Li Wanlin loved painting when he was a child in junior high school in Liujiapu, his hometown. Whenever he saw clouds floating in the sky that looked like people or animals, he would pick up branches and imitate paintings on the ground. . When he was in high school, he developed a strong interest in painting. He often studied during the day and painted under an oil lamp at night. His painting results have always been among the best. During the holidays, he went to Jin'e Mountain, Shuixia and other places to sketch. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to Xining Simple Normal School. As his age and knowledge increased, his painting and calligraphy skills improved rapidly. Due to poor economic conditions at home, he had no money to buy picture albums to copy, so he had to observe carefully. When he saw the landscapes, flowers and birds on the furniture sold in the wood shop, or the paint paintings on the doors and windows he saw at the homes of relatives and friends, he would carefully sketch them out. Go back and copy and practice again and again.
As the saying goes: "A Confucian teacher breaks the lost path, and a good teacher makes a good disciple." During this period of time, Li Wanlin suffered from the lack of guidance from a professional teacher and could only explore on his own. Soon, he realized that he could not improve his painting skills if he continued to paint like this, so he asked around for professional teachers. Later, he inquired about a painter named Wang Zisan in Xining who taught in a middle school and had very high painting skills. Therefore, he tried to find someone to introduce him to Wang Zisan as his teacher, and he humbly asked for advice on painting techniques. Wang Zisan taught him some basic painting techniques and gave him a lot of painting materials for him to copy repeatedly. After a period of concentrated study, Li Wanlin's painting skills have been significantly improved. After graduating from Xining Jianshi Normal University in 1941, he was famous for his painting and was hired by several schools. He worked as a painting teacher at the primary school attached to Xining Jianshi Normal University, the provincial Xining Middle School, and Kunlun Middle School.
Li Wanlin is rigorous in his studies and pays attention to the training of students' basic skills in teaching. He is never conservative in art and is very popular among students. In 1944, Zhang Daqian, a master of traditional Chinese painting, came to Xining and brought his works to seek advice. Zhang Daqian saw his works and called him "a promising young painter in Qinghai". Zhang Daqian also allowed Li Wanlin to watch him paint. After many observations, Li Wanlin's painting skills have improved again.
After receiving guidance from the master, Li Wanlin became more diligent in painting.
In 1945, Li Wanlin held an art exhibition together with Zhou Yizun and Zhang Zhigang. Li Wanlin's paintings have been well received by visitors.