He learned cooking from his mother, and worked in various restaurants in Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai.
He emigrated to Taiwan in 1947 after the Chinese Civil War, and to Hong Kong in 1948, where he opened a Sichuanese restaurant.
However, in 1957, upon opening the Shisen Hanten (四川飯店) restaurant in Japan, Chen arranged his dishes to cater to the tastes of his Japanese clients.
Chen introduced Shanghai-style Sichuan cuisine to Japan through the Shisen Hanten Restaurant as well as through nationwide TV shows, particularly NHK's TV show, Kyō no ryōri ("Today's Cuisine" in English).
Among the many Shanghai-style Japanese Chinese dishes Chen popularized in Japan include: