Chen Gang started to learn piano and composition from his father and music teachers from a young age.
From 1955 to 1959, Chen Gang was a student at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, studying composition.
In 1959, Chen Gang, together with another student, He Zhanhao, composed the violin concerto Butterfly Lovers.
[1] In his composition career, he composed and recomposed many classics in China, including Butterfly Lovers, Miaolin's Morning, and The Golden Steel Smelting Furnace.
He also composed a virtuoso violin solo piece: Sunshine in Tashkurgan, which is frequently performed in China.