[6][7] Chen was educated at Shenzhen Arts School and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and studied under the tutelage of experienced musicians who influenced his work later in his career.
[10] In 1996, at the age of twelve, Chen enrolled at Shenzhen Arts School and studied under clarinet educators Jiang Baocheng (姜宝成) and Tao Ran (陶然).
[14] When Chen was 16, he learned basic theories of composition under Ju Zongze (居宗泽), a teacher and assistant lecturer at Shenzhen Arts School.
[9][8] It was also during that year, in November, when he won an award during a song activity organized by Tanimura and the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles (上海市文联组织) for the opening of the Yangshan Port and Donghai Bridge.
The story tells of five gifted people who don magical battle armor handed down in China since ancient times, and together they become warriors representing the power of light.
[22] In 2016, Chen composed the theme song "God's Rival" (神的对手) for the film Armor Hero Captor King, with the lyrics provided by Zhou Bingyi (周秉毅) and Jing Qian (镜千).
At an unknown time, Chen joined Click Music, the studio of Hong Kongese film composer Chan Kwong-wing (陈光荣).
He and Chan worked together to produce the score for The Last Tycoon, a 2012 period drama film directed by Hong Kong cinema veteran Wong Jing (王晶).
[37] In January 2015, the suspense thriller film Tales of Mystery, directed by Raymond Yip, Tian Meng (田蒙), and Xian Xuchu (咸旭初), was released.
Chen considered the diversity of musical styles and incorporated elements from various genres such as folk, jazz, rock, electronic dance, new age, etc.
[54] In 2018, Chen composed the theme song "Dreams of Farewell" (梦留别) for Yihua (移花), one of the martial arts sects players can choose to join upon creating their character.
The theme of the song was based on a soundtrack previously created for Moonlight Blade, "Treading the Waves in the Sea" (沧海踏浪) by Liang Bangyan (梁邦彦).
In 2019, video game developer company miHoYo got Chen to produce the soundtrack for their title Genshin Impact with their in-house music studio HOYO-MiX.
[59] In composing the music for Mondstadt, Chen borrowed the language and rhythm of Impressionism and used the piano, tin whistle instruments, and medieval-style lutes.
"[60][61] For Liyue, which had scenic Eastern fantasy as its basis,[62] he used elements of Chinese folk music—traditional instruments, the pentatonic scale, and ancient tonal melodies—with Western romantic harmonies and orchestral arrangements.
Among the involved performers was Belgian composer and conductor Dirk Brossé, who conducted Chen's nominated work "The Curse of Blood" at the 2019 World Soundtrack Awards.
[68] "Contemplation in Snow" was featured in a promotional video for the Beijing National Speed Skating Oval, a competition area constructed specially for the event.
Based on the plans for my personal creative journey, after careful consideration and several discussions with the company, I have chosen to leave miHoYo and the HOYO-MiX team to pursue my own music dreams!
[7] On July 23, 2024, it was announced that Chen Zhiyi had been invited to compose four original soundtrack pieces for Project Woolgatherer (无尽梦回), a roguelite action-adventure mobile game centered on the theme of dreams.
"[70] On September 16, 2024, Justice (逆水寒) announced the launch of an independent music brand named "Nishui Changqin" (逆水长琴), created exclusively for the game and its players.
What also inspired the lyrics are the times he squatted on the side of the road to smoke cigarettes in the middle of the night and the clerk at the store would play the midnight radio.
[25] According to lyricist and project planner Jing Qian, the difficulty of the production lay in the communication as each song involved illustrators, video creators, and other artists.
This album embodies Chen Zhiyi’s most grand and imaginative musical concepts to date, crafted in collaboration with world-class musicians and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Its flowing melodies unfold like a kaleidoscope, with beautiful notes weaving a colorful picture of a fantasy playground, presenting listeners with a dreamlike wonderland.Honoring the past and looking toward the future, Chen embarks on a new journey filled with unknowns but also endless possibilities.
During the lecture, Chen also shared his experience of cooperating with orchestras and musicians from different countries in the process of music production through a large number of video materials.
Alongside "Legend," more original works by Chen were performed for the concert: "Mystery" (迷), "Discovery" (发现), "Emergency" (意外), "Truth" (真相), and "Challenge" (挑战).
On July 22, Qingqin Qingqing debuted at Bilibili Macro Link (BML), a concert event held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.
From March to April 2024, Chen was involved as one of the five Artist Ambassadors in the Digital Muse: 2024 Music+Technology Festival (数字缪斯——2024音乐科技融创节), centered on the fusion of artificial intelligence with musical composition.
He participated in the evaluation and selection process of submitted works, providing guidance, recommendations, and support for the music creations featured in this festival, which was hosted by the Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall.
[111] On January 1, 2017, Chen participated in the Moonlight Blade Guofeng Carnival theme music exhibition, which was held at the Sun Palace Magic Theater in Nanjing City.