He started writing prose in 1965 and finished his magnum opus White Deer Field in 1993 (for which he won the Mao Dun Literature Prize in 1997).
Chen was born in Xi'an, Shaanxi on 3 August 1942.
He was interested in literature and soon began devoting himself to a writing career.
Chen became the vice director of Culture Bureau of Baqiao District of Xi'an in 1980.
He served as a member of the Writers Association of Shaanxi, becoming vice president in 1985 and chairman in 1993.