Whilst a civil engineering student at the National University of Singapore he did some modelling and joined Route to Glamour, a talent show organised by SPH MediaWorks.
In 2001, Chen participated in the Chinese talent competition, Route to Glamour, by SPH MediaWorks' Channel U.
[3] He earned himself a role in the Singapore-Hong Kong co-produced TV series Yummy Yummy in 2005, before proceeding to work together with other famous actors such as Nicholas Tse, Dicky Cheung and Li Yapeng in TV series jointly produced by Singapore and other countries.
[2] In 2013, Chen and his friends spent $500,000 to open Park Cafe at Holland Village, Singapore.
[5][7] In 2023, Chen opened a rooftop café, Sunset on 11 (abbreviated as Soll), at the 11th-floor of Louis Kienne Serviced Residences at Havelock Road.