Chen Jin was born in 1446 in Wuchang (modern day Wuhan, Hubei) to a family of officials; his grandfather was Prefect of Kuizhou (in modern day Chongqing), while his father Chen Lin served as Deputy Commissioner of Guangxi.
[1] In 1507, he was appointed to his first term as Viceroy of Liangguang, where he managed to suppress a local Zhuang rebellion.
He then attempted to open trade with the Zhuang as a means of controlling them, but the rebels continued to raid and kill.
[1] In 1508, he was promoted to Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, and in 1511 he was appointed to northern Jiangxi to lead a campaign against local bandits.
He won military victories and took bandit forts, using locally recruited troops.