Yilin was born in 1999 in a small county in Jiangxi, China. She spent her early childhood at her grandparents' home, growing up in the traditional Hakka tiled house within a large extended family. At the age of seven, her family moved to the county seat, where she received her compulsory education.

At eighteen, she was admitted to the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, beginning her studies in the affluent eastern coastal region of China. She later worked in Shanghai, including a position at an international NGO. At twenty-three, she moved to London to pursue further education at Goldsmiths, University of London. Upon graduation, joined a top luxury group.

Having lived in various regions and engaged with diverse social strata, shaped in part by her professional experience in the fashion and luxury industries, Yilin's research interests center on class culture and conspicuous consumption. Meanwhile, her involvement in nonprofit work, and the vibrant integration of art and community life in East London inspired her deep commitment to sustainability and social service.

Yilin is currently working on her graphic novel I am my hometown, seeks to weave together personal experience and academic study. Through a more accessible artistic form, she explores identity in the context of rapid social transformation in contemporary China, broaden her understanding of what holds meaning beyond wealth and status.

怡琳1999年出生于江西的一个小县城，七岁前在奶奶家度过童年，于传统的客家瓦房中与大家庭一同成长，之后迁至县城接受基础教育。

十八岁时，她考入中国美术学院（杭州），赴富庶的江浙沪地区求学，后赴上海工作，曾任职于国际公益组织。二十三岁，她远赴伦敦，于伦敦大学金史密斯学院（伦敦）深造，毕业后进入奢侈品集团工作。

多地的成长经历使她接触到多元的社会阶层，加之在时尚行业，尤其奢侈品领域的工作经验，她的研究聚焦于“阶级文化”与“炫耀性消费”现象。同时，公益组织的实践经历、东伦敦艺术和社群的紧密连接也使她对“可持续发展”及“社会服务”产生浓厚兴趣。

怡琳目前正从事个人图像小说《我是我的故乡》的创作，尝试结合过往经历与学术研究，通过更易于大众传播的艺术形式，讲述一个在当代中国剧烈社会变迁中探索个人身份认同的故事，并试图在财富与地位之外，探寻更多元的价值锚点。