Chen Zhi played acoustic "Western" [3] and electric Hawaii guitar[1] and made some recordings e.g. in the early 1980s.
As initiator and artistic director, Chen Zhi organized the first China International Guitar Festival in 1987 and numerous events since then.
[6] His teaching from around the 1990s is such, that based on his students' technical abilities, he is regarded as one of today's top classical guitar teachers (see Quotations below).
[10] A number of his students, notably Yang Xuefei, Wang Yameng, Su Meng, Li Jie have won international competitions.
In classical guitar demonstration videos, it is always his students that play; with himself just giving explanations, transmitting basic skills, relating how to approach technical aspects, methodology, etc.
), beginning in the 1950s with very basic rudimentary insufficient technique; through later phases in which he had contact with western concert performers (1980s), and began changing the technique he taught (e.g. with nails, different hand-position), up to the last phase, which stabilized around 1996, or later: when he slowly began to arouse increasing interest in the West, due to the high level of his students.