Native of Yixing, Jiangsu. After secondary school, Chen joined the New Drama Group as an actor, and traveled with the company performing in various places around East China. In 1924, he moved to Shanghai and joined the New Dramatic Troupe headed by Gu Wuwei (顾无为), usually playing earnest and likable young men, and was well-received by audiences. In 1925, he assisted Gu Wuwei in starting the Da Zhongguo (Great China) Film Company, for which he assumed concurrent roles as director and actor. In 1920s film roles he was noted for portraying famous characters from classical Chinese literature, such as the Buddhist monk Xuanzang in the "Journey to the West" series. All his film directing efforts were in 1927-28, but his acting career extended into the mid-30s. Chen then returned to the stage, and in the 1940s served as artistic director of Shanghai's Hua Yue Dramatic Troupe.
Filmography (as actor unless otherwise noted):
1925:
Who's His Mother?
1926:
Hell and Heaven
Elopement
Midnight Lovers
Frustrated Hero
Meng Jiangnü
1927:
Story of Han Xiangzi
Rebuild the Republic
Three Kingdoms: Diao Chan Saves the Nation
Journey to the West: Uproar in Heaven (also director)
1928:
Monkey King Conquers the Black Wind (also director)
Journey to the West: the Bottomless Pit (co-director)
Journey to the West: the Yellow Monster (co-director)
Journey to the West: the Kingdom of the Black Rooster (director)
The Goddess Jin Jing [aka An Evil Woman Bars the Way] (co-director)
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
New Shaolin Temple: Fang Shiyu [Fang Sai-Yuk] Accepts a Challenge (writer)
1931:
Blue Skies After the Rain
1934:
Renzhu [aka Lonely Orchid]
1936:
By the Huangpu River
