Born in Yangqu County, Shanxi province, she joined the Chinese Communist Party in May 1971.
She was one of the top Yangqu County officials during the latter stages of the Cultural Revolution.
By 2000, Jin took on the post of Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, heading anti-graft work in the province, and was elevated to the party's provincial Standing Committee, in practice the top ruling council of Shanxi.
Jin became the Deputy Party Secretary of Shanxi province in October 2006, and the Chairwoman of the provincial Political Consultative Conference, a largely ceremonial post that nonetheless made her a full provincial-ministerial level official.
[1] In October 2008, Jin died in a car accident while travelling on the expressway between Xinzhou and Taiyuan.