At 17, WRITER AND DIRECTOR was expelled from Peking Opera School for fighting with the principal’s son.. He was acquitted, but could not return to school.
While performed opera in the central oil fields, he was encouraged to enroll at Beijing’s prestigious Film Academy. He was admitted after a rigorous audition process, and graduated in acting in 1988.

After an assistant professorship at the BFA for two years, he performed in Henry Chow’s PEERING FROM THE MOON which went to Sundance Film Festival (1991) —inspired his of Independent American cinema. He worked in Los Angeles as a professional actor for a decade, appearing in major supporting roles in GENGIS KHAN (1992,Italy), FOREIGN MOON (1995, UK_HK), BEVERLY HILLS NINJA (1996), RESTLESS (1997), and SILVER HAWK (HK-China, 2004)

In 2003, Mr. Chen worked as an assistant to Queetin Tarantino’s KILL BILL in Beijing. He also made the transition to writer-director with his 35mm feature film MANHOLE, about an ex-con who after seven years leaves jail but is tempted by easy money, and the parole officer is tempted by his fiancée.

The film, blending international savvy with Chinese characteristic, was an official selection at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, London Firecracker Asian Showcase, Palm Spring International Film Festival, the Udine Far East Film Festival and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. His second film One Foot Off the Ground(ji Quan Bu Ning) was wide released in China in Oct. 2006 by Huayi Bros. and It was one of top hit films, achieved both commercial success and praised by both International and Chinese reviewers. It won the best director award at the 9th Brasilia International Film Festival, and also picked up four for Golden Rooster Award (Chinese National Award), won the best supporting actress. It was also in competition in San Sebastian International Film Festival for both new directors and new scriptwriter.