[1] In June 1922, he co-founded the Chinese Youth Communist Party with Zhao Shiyan and Zhou Enlai and served as the propaganda director.

In the winter of 1922, with the approval of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the two brother joined the CCP.

[2] In February 1925, he succeeded Zhou Enlai as secretary of the CCP Guangdong Provincial Committee.

[2] In June, Chen, Deng Zhongxia, Su Zhaozheng led the Canton–Hong Kong strike.

[2] On the evening of 4 July 1927, he was pinned down and hacked to death by the Kuomintang police after refusing to kneel for his execution.