Under his leadership, Fujian achieved record economic growth that exceeded the national rate in the 20th century.
After graduating from the Mechanical-Electrical Department of Northeast China Engineering College (now Northeastern University) in 1953, he began working as a technician at the Ministry of Metallurgy.
It was said that Jia Qinglin, a northerner, was intended to replace the retiring party chief Xiang Nan, but because of opposition from Fujianese cadres, the top post of the province went to Chen Guangyi instead.
Chen also supported the Xiamen special economic zone and Deng Xiaoping's southern tour of 1992.
[3] He responded swiftly and effectively to the complaints, and throughout the rest of 1992, he worked with officials from Xiamen, Quanzhou, and Zhangzhou in southern Fujian on a strategy for growth.