Lin Chiling was born in Taipei, Taiwan on November 29, 1974. Lin's father Lin Fan-nan (Lin Fan-nan) and mother Wu Cimei are both from Tainan in southern Taiwan. After getting married, they moved to Taipei and Lin and her brother Lin Zhihong were born. Mr. Lin studied at Taipei Zhongzheng Middle School and was discovered by model scout Lin Jianhuan when he was 15 years old. Later, she studied at the Bishop Strachan School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and then at the University of Toronto. Until 1997, she received a bachelor's degree in Western Art History and Economics.

After graduating from university, Lin returned to Taiwan. She originally planned to pursue a career in fine arts and was looking for a position at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, but was turned away due to lack of a graduate degree in this field. Before leaving the industry, Lin continued to work as a part-time model and served as an administrative assistant for the Fubon Cultural Education Foundation. In 2000, Lin left Fubon, studied in Japan for three months, then returned to Taiwan and performed modeling in Catwalk Production House.