[1] His other notable works include films Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011), Mojin: The Lost Legend (2015) and Chongqing Hot Pot (2016), as well as television series The Rise of Phoenixes (2018) and The Wind Blows From Longxi (2022).

[7] He rose to prominence with a series of hit television dramas Love in Shanghai (2001), Pink Ladies (2002) and The Story of a Noble Family (2003), the last of which was adapted from the novel of the same name by Zhang Henshui.

[citation needed] Chen then starred in A West Lake Moment (2005), playing a love-seeking and idealistic young man who is not easily satisfied.

[8] He next starred in The Music Box (2006),[9] which earned him the Best Actor accolade at the Shanghai Film Critics Awards for capturing his screen character's years of arduous life and as well as his struggles and joys.

He played Chiang Ching-kuo, and was praised by the media and critics alike for his excellent portrayal of a passionate nationalist who was unable to prevent the fall of his party.

Chen starred in wuxia film Flying Swords of Dragon Gate directed by Tsui Hark in 2011.

[17] The dual roles marked a turning point in Chen's popularity and acting career, and has become one of his most representative works to date.

[27] Chen starred in fantasy epics in 2015; Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal as well as Mojin: The Lost Legend where he played Hu Bayi, the main character of the popular tomb-raiding novel series.

[28] Mojin was a huge commercial success, breaking the box office record for a local language IMAX film in China.

[29] In 2016, Chen starred alongside Bai Baihe in crime caper film Chongqing Hot Pot.

[31] He also made a special appearance in the romantic comedy Beautiful Accident opposite his Rest on Your Shoulder co-star Gwei Lun-mei.

[33] In 2018, Chen starred in the period spy drama Lost in 1949 (also known as The Double, 脱身) as twin brothers from First Cuts Features' CEO and show runner Tang XiRu (唐郗汝) and Wang QiNan (汪启楠).

These two dramas, co-produced by Chen, marked his return to the small screen after a decade, only to mixed reviews and low ratings.

[41] He wrote the lyrics to the single "Power to Go", which he released for a philanthropy program to advocate environmental awareness and protection.

[42] Since 2011, Chen set up a series of public charities named "Power to Go", aimed to encourage people to simply go outside and walk, in an effort to improve their health and spirit.

In 2014, he published Strange Aquarius (鬼水瓶录), a short-story collection that takes inspiration from his Weibo posts and life story.