[15] Jin started skating at age seven and a half, having become interested in the activity when he attended one of Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo's ice shows.

However, he began to demonstrate his talents in skating, especially with dance movements, during his second year of primary school, and his parents started to support him.

[24] He qualified for the JGP Final in Fukuoka, Japan, where he placed fifth in the short program but rebounded in the free skate with three quads and six clean triples.

[33] Jin concluded his season with a silver medal at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, having placed fifth in the short program and first in the free skate.

[46] At the 13th National Winter Games of China, he represented the city of Harbin and finished first in both short program and free skate, completing all of his planned quadruple jumps.

[67][better source needed] He started his season at the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy, where he placed second in the short program and third in the free skate and won the gold medal overall.

Jin said that he had sprained both of his ankles due to loose boot laces,[69][70] which was confirmed by Zhao Hongbo as having happened before the Cup of China.

[89] Over the summer, it was initially announced that Jin would be moving to train with Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club in preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

However, these plans were subsequently called off, with Shen Xue stating on behalf of the Chinese Skating Association that Jin was "more familiar with the training environment and methods in China.

[94] Finishing the season at the 2019 World Championships in Saitama, Jin placed ninth in the short program after falling on his quad Lutz attempt but rose to fifth overall after a strong free skate.

[99] At his first Grand Prix assignment, 2019 Skate America, Jin placed ninth in the short program after doubling a planned quad Lutz and falling on his triple Axel.

[101] At his second Grand Prix, the 2019 Cup of China, Jin again fell on his quad Lutz in the short program and narrowly placed second behind a returning Yan Han.

[111] With the 2020–21 figure skating season having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, senior skaters were invited to a maximum of one Grand Prix event, based largely on geographic location.

[10] Before the 2021 World Championships, Jin's biography was updated to reflect the addition of Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson to his coaching team.

In early October, before the competition, he contracted appendicitis and decided to put off surgery in favor of conservative treatment so he could compete.

[122] Jin maintained a lead over Chen Yudong in all five rounds and accumulated enough points to be announced as the Olympic entry for China.

[132] Jin said that he felt relieved and encouraged for having overcome the ups and downs of the previous four years and that he was in a relaxed state during the competition.

[136] Jin was unable to complete many jumps in practice during his first months with his new coaching team due to a lack of strength, and his programs were not finished until December.

He revealed that he had continued to struggle with injury and health concerns, including two bouts of COVID in recent months, but that he was enthusiastic about how his new coaching team was managing the situation, calling this "a brand new start.

"[137][138] His fast-paced short program to Seven Nation Army had been changed twice because of his condition and recovery, and he started doing full run-throughs only two weeks prior to the competition.

[133] He dropped to seventh place after the free skate; he afterward indicated that he had been dealing with pain while at the event that limited his jump practice.

[142] In an interview after the 2023 Four Continents Championships, he commented that his long program was constructed with the aim of expressing his feelings after moving to Canada for training.

[145][146] He said that his strength was still very lacking because of his series of health concerns and that he hoped to "make progress every day" in order to have a good performance at the 2026 Olympics.

Jin expressed satisfaction with his performance, and he noted that rushing through the program had led to making mistakes on his easier jumping passes.

[155] In February, Jin participated in the 14th Chinese National Winter Games held in Hulunbuir, where he competed in both the Team and Individual Events.

[162] Jin revealed that he had chosen Sam Ryder's Fought & Lost as the music for his short program, because the lyrics represented his situation, and that he liked it very much.

[166] Jin was assigned to compete at the 2024 Chinese Championships, but he withdrew due to a longtime back injury, which had worsened over the course of the Grand Prix series.

[167] Jin is known for his technical prowess and quadruple jumps,[168][169][170] earning him the nickname "Mars Boy" (火星男孩) from some Chinese media.

[35][52][174][175][176][177] Two-time Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu, in a press conference after his 2017 World Championship, credited Jin as the reason men's skating had so many types of quads.

"There is no doubt that he pushed us all, because he did the quad Lutz so people realised that it's humanly possible", stated Hanyu, crediting Jin for "pulling us all up to the level where we are today.