Born in the twenty-seventh year of the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty (c. 1599) into a wealthy family, Mao Jin received early education under the guidance of Qian Qianyi.
At the age of thirteen, he enrolled in a government-run school and at twenty-six, he was selected as a Xiucai (a title granted to those who passed the provincial-level examination).
[3] Mao Jin established two private libraries and publishing houses, named Jigu Ge (汲古阁) and Mugeng Lou (目耕楼), respectively.
[4] His publishing house printed over 600 books during a period of 40 years, covering a variety of genres including the classics, history, fictions, verses, short essays, etc.
His printed editions gained wide circulation and made him a foremost private publisher throughout the empirical dynasties.