Po-jung Chen was born in Daxi. In his childhood, he was surrounded by woodcrafts and thus was destined to be a woodcarver. Chen believed that entering competitions was the best way to make a name for himself. He has won awards at many competitions. Chen's themes are mostly pastoral, and include lotuses, morning glories, loofah squashes, dragonflies, frogs and crabs. He learned of the beauty of nature through studying the loofah squash, and has made natural subjects his forte. His nineteen-year-old son, Hong-ju Chen, shares his father's interest and is learning to carve. Chen, however, does not push his son to follow in his footsteps and enter competitions. He wants his son to find his own way and style.