Lin Ching-ju was born in Taipei in 1952. Her father was a reporter at Kung Lun Pao, which back then was one of Taiwan's most important newspapers. Although he had a regular job, the paper had precarious finances, so he often couldn't collect his salary, and the burden of providing for the family's six mouths fell to Lin's mother.
林璟如，1952 年生於台北，父親是台灣早年最重要媒體「公論報」的記者，儘管工作固定，卻因報社財務困窘，經常領不到薪水，一家 6 口的生活重擔全落在母親肩上。