Lin was born in August 1950 in Ganyu County, Jiangsu Province. He attended the Department of Physics at Jiangsu Normal University (then Xuzhou Normal College) from March 1972 to July 1974. From July 1974 to July 1980, Lin served as Party branch secretary of the Physics Department at Jiangsu Normal University, and later as deputy secretary and secretary of the university's Communist Youth League committee. In July 1980, he became secretary of the Xuzhou Municipal Communist Youth League committee, and in August 1982, deputy secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Communist Youth League committee and chairman of the provincial Youth Federation.[2]
In July 1986, Lin was appointed Party secretary of Nanjing Institute of Physical Education and concurrently deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Sports Commission. From June 1988 to February 1994, he served as director of the commission, Party secretary, and concurrently president of Nanjing Institute of Physical Education. In February 1994, Lin became deputy secretary-general of the Jiangsu Provincial Government (at the department/bureau level). In June 1995, he was appointed Party secretary of Yancheng City, and in January 2000, concurrently chairman of the Standing Committee of the Yancheng Municipal People's Congress.[3]
In August 2001, Lin was named head of the United Front Work Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. From February 2002 to May 2005, he served as vice chairman of the 8th Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and continued as head of the United Front Work Department.[4][1][5]
In May 2005, Lin was appointed member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, while retaining his position as CPPCC vice chairman until January 2006. From January 2006 to December 2008, he continued as Standing Committee member and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. From December 2008 to December 2009, he also served as Party secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Department. From January 2011, Lin additionally became deputy Party secretary of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress, and in March 2011 was appointed its executive vice chairman. He retired from the position in January 2013.[4]
Lin was a delegate to the 15th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, a member of the 10th and 11th Jiangsu Provincial Party Committees, a member of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and served as a delegate to multiple provincial-level people's congresses and political consultative conferences.[6]