Born in Guangdong, Lin attended Hangzhou National Academy of Arts in his early age. A native of Xinhui Prefecture, Guangdong Province, he studied in Hangzhou National Art Institute in his early years. He went to study in Japan in 1932 under great masters Baihara Ryuzaburo and Yasui Sotaro. Upon his graduation from National Arts Institute of Japan (the present Tokyo Arts University) in 1942, he became a professional painter in Japanese painting circles.
His works lay stress on expression with light brushwork, rich colorful palette, permeated with a breath of clarity, joy and nature. They are full of life and thought provoking. He respected the inspiration bestowed by nature, seizing the feeling timely and swiftly captured the subject matter's image, romantic charms, momentum as well as light and color. His brushwork was lively and at random like Chinese ink and wash painting. In his later period, his works were more matured in the style of Western impressionist infused with Chinese traditional painting charm, realizing an artistic effect of integrity.