When Lee Chih-Kai was 15, he left his hometown Yilan county and moved to Taoyuan city, where Lin Yu-Shin coached a university gymnastic team. Lee practiced with the team in the early morning before going to school and returned to the gym after school. During high school, he practiced at least 8 hours per day. His coach said that Lee was not the most talented gymnast, but was the most hard-working one.