[1][2][3] Born in Wuchuan City, Guangdong, he passed the Chinese imperial examination in 1853 at the age of 24, and entered the Hanlin Academy.

He soon became the head of two departments of the Qing government in succession, and in 1872 he was sent to the United States and named commissioner of the Chinese Educational Commission in Hartford, Connecticut, despite not knowing English.

He was formally named the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Spain, and Peru in 1878, a position that he held until 1881.

[1] A conservative, Chen was often at odds with the progressive oriented Yung Wing, the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university, and a colleague of his.

[5] In 2015, Chen was featured in an article by China Daily, which remembered his efforts in promoting China–United States relations.