Born in Inner Mongolia Mainland China, Lin holds a Master of Fine Arts from Washington State University, a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, Australia, and a Bachelor of Science from Jilin University China, with a focus in packaging design and engineering.

Lin moved with her family to Beijing in 1983. Upon receiving her first degree in 1992 Lin worked as a graphic/package designer and an art director in Beijing. In 1998 she moved to Sydney Australia to further pursue her education in visual arts. She then moved to Washington State USA where she completed her MFA in Ceramics. After graduation, she served as an adjunct ceramics professor (sabbatical replacement) at Washington State University, where she taught ceramics courses at all levels in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, Lin was offered an opportunity to establish the new ceramics program at Brandon University in Canada, where she has been teaching since, and has been working intensely in her studio.

In the studio, Lin is most concerned with the qualities of clay and the energy it holds. Her ceramic works focus on sculptures that explore the soft qualities of clay, and large scale installations using universal symbols and subjects that are closely related to the human body. Her works have been shown both in Canada and internationally including the US, Hong Kong, France, Spain, and China. In 2010, she was awarded Creation/Production Grant in the Visual Arts (A) from Manitoba Art Council, and Assistance to Visual Artists / Project Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.