Born in Shanghai, Chen played youth football in the city for Lianxing and Jingwu.
After leaving St. John's University in order to pursue his football career, he played in a number of friendlies for China in preparation for the 1952 Olympics.
In 1971, he was appointed manager of the Hebei team, remaining in his post for two years.
He later acted as a consultant to China women's national football team, helping the team to finish runners-up at the 1996 Olympics and the 1999 Women's World Cup.
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