Due to the extreme temperatures, outdoor match activity was halted on Monday.
Raducanu shared an image from her mobile device indicating a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius.
Current title holder Jannik Sinner withdrew due to muscle cramps during the third stage of the Shanghai Masters this week, while Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, experienced vomiting during his victory over Yannick Hanfmann.
A successful showing in Wuhan would have improved Raducanu’s potential for being seeded in the Australian Open in January, which is the first Grand Slam event of the year.
The 2021 US Open victor achieved a break in the initial game, but Li then claimed six consecutive games, conceding only one point on her serve, to secure the first set in just 28 minutes.
Raducanu appeared weary as she managed to recover from three double faults to maintain her serve at the beginning of the second set.
However, she was unable to capitalize on two break point opportunities in the following game, and a series of slow, unforced errors then assisted Li in achieving a break for a 2-1 advantage.
Another double fault resulted in another break for Li, and Raducanu requested a medical break before ultimately withdrawing from the match.
“I wish her a speedy recovery. I’m not sure what occurred, but it was apparent near the end that she wasn’t moving as freely,” stated Li, who is ranked number 46 in the world.
Li will compete against Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-2 on Monday, in the second round.
Earlier on Tuesday, Naomi Osaka, the Japanese player with four major titles, defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round.
Iga Swiatek, the second seed from Poland, defeated Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1, while Emma Navarro, the 14th seed from the United States, experienced a surprising defeat by Shuai Zhang of China, who is ranked number 142 in the world, with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
