Chen was born in Jurong, Jiangsu, in December 1967. He studied political education at the Department of Political Education of Nanjing Normal University from September 1985 to September 1989, and later pursued a master's degree in the history of the international communist movement at the same institution, graduating in July 1992.[2] After graduation, Chen worked at the Lecture Group of the Publicity Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party as an assistant lecturer and lecturer. In 1995, he joined the General Office of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, holding several posts including secretary in the Industrial and Communications Division and researcher in the Planning and Economic and Trade Division. From July 2000 to August 2001, he was seconded to Danyang as deputy Party secretary.[3]
In May 2002, Chen became head of the Youth Agriculture Department of the Communist Youth League's Jiangsu Provincial Committee. He later served as deputy secretary and, from 2006, as secretary of the provincial Youth League while concurrently serving as chairman of the Jiangsu Youth Federation.[4]
In June 2008, Chen was appointed vice mayor of Wuxi. He later served as a member of the Wuxi Municipal Party Standing Committee, secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and subsequently as secretary of the Wuxi Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. From December 2015 to December 2019, Chen was concurrently a member of the Wuxi Municipal Party Standing Committee, Party secretary of Jiangyin, and head of the Jiangyin High-Tech Industrial Development Zone.[5]
In December 2019, he became Chinese Communist Party Deputy Committee Secretary of Changzhou and acting mayor. He was confirmed as mayor in May 2020, a position he held until July 2021. Chen was appointed Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Changzhou in July 2021 and concurrently served as the first Party secretary of the Changzhou Military Sub-district.[6][7]