Jiang Tingxi was born in Changshu, Jiangsu, and was the son and grandson of two distinguished court scholar-officials. Jiang later became a court painter, his speciality being works depicting plants and flowers. Despite failing the metropolitan exam, the Kangxi emperor allowed him to sit for the palace test, and he obtained the jinshi degree in 1703. In addition to his artistic practice, Jiang Tingxi also served as editor of several imperially-commissioned histories and encyclopedias. The 5020-volume encyclopedia Gujin Tushu Jicheng ('Complete Collection of Illustrations and Writings from the Earliest to Current Times') was published in 1726, and was compiled by Chen Menglei and Jiang Tingxi during the reigns of both the Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors.

Jiang Tingxi served in the Kangxi and Yong dynasties and was good at flowers and birds. Influenced by the missionary painters at that time, he mastered certain Western painting techniques and eclectically combined the delicacy and elegance of traditional meticulous flowers and birds, which was appreciated by Emperor Kangxi. Twelve volumes of "Bird Book" were drawn, with thirty pictures in each volume, totaling 360 pictures. The fine regular script text on the left page combines the authenticity of Western museum paintings with the vividness of traditional Chinese paintings, and is beautifully drawn.