In 1985 he moved to Germany where he attended the Music Academy of Hamburg to complete his studies with György Ligeti.
Chen works frequently as a guest professor in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and other places.
Since 1987 he has been a professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg at the Asia-Africa Institute and he is self-employed.
Chen's style of composition is close to the Asian mentality, where the creation and development of the sound is in the centre of attention.
His works consist of a seemingly simple sound event which will develop in unexpected ways.