Born in Minhou County, he was educated at the local naval academy and was sent to Britain for further studies. Lin rose to become an admiral in the
Beiyang fleet during the Qing dynasty and continued to serve in the
Republic. In 1917, reacting against
Duan Qirui's dominance over the
Beiyang government, he defected with his ships to
Sun Yat-sen's rival
Constitutional Protection government in South China. For his actions, he was made a member of the governing committee and navy minister. Soon a split emerged within the committee with him siding with the
Old Guangxi clique against Sun. Sun's forces, led by
Chen Jiongming, defeated him and his Guangxi allies in 1920. He later rejoined the Beiyang government. Lin died in Shanghai in 1930. == References ==