A knife is his brush, and bamboo is his canvas. Chen brings a groundbreaking approach to traditional bamboo-carving, and has made bamboo-carving a more intellectual art.
Born into a farming family, Chen grew up alongside bamboo. In his teenage years, he began to carve bamboo, studying under Cheng-chi Chen. He also participated in the construction of the Zushi Temple in Sanxia under the instruction of two other masters: Mei-shu Li and Mei-pin Hsiao.