[1] She was the daughter of the Chinese millionaire Chen Gengji and his second wife Wei Yuelang[2]: 36  and was raised in Penang in British Malaya.

[2]: 36 In 1909, she moved to Japan on the pretext of furthering her studies and formally became a member of the Tongmenghui revolutionary group.

Chen Bijun was elected member of the KMT Central Supervisory Committee for their government party.

On the request of He Xiangning and Soong Ching-ling, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai offered her a pardon if she would admit guilty on the charge of treason, but as she refused, she remained in prison until her death.

[citation needed] The 2007 Chinese historical film Road to Dawn features the character "Xu Danrong" based on Chen played by Malaysian-born actress Angelica Lee.