[4] Chen was born in Shanghai in August 1953 and his ancestral hometown is Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province.

Chen began his medical career by spending five years in rural China as a barefoot doctor.

Chen completed his medical residency and postdoctoral research at the same university and its teaching hospital.

[8] In 2018, Chen was awarded the Sjöberg Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences “for the clarification of molecular mechanisms and the development of a revolutionary treatment for acute promyelocytic leukaemia”.

13936, “The President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization”, and added to OFAC's SDN List.

His youngest brother, Chen Zhen (1955–2000), was a globally recognized artist based in France.