Chen was born in
Beijing, on March 17, 1927, while his
ancestral home in
Changle,
Fujian. His father , a graduate from
Waseda University, was a politician in late
Qing dynasty and early
Republic of China. He is the younger brother of
Chen Shunyao ( the wife of Song Ping ) and brother in law of
Song Ping. He attended Chongde Middle School (now Beijing No.31 High School). In 1944 he was accepted to
Peking University, majoring in the Department of Applied Chemistry, where he graduated in 1948. In December 1949 he became a technician at the Artificial Oil Factory of
Fushun Mining Bureau (later renamed as the 3rd Petroleum Factory). He joined the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in April 1956. In 1982 he joined
Sinopec. In 1985, Luoyang Refinery Design and Research Institute was renamed Luoyang Petrochemical Engineering Company, and he transitioned from being the institute's dean to serving as its manager. In 2018, Chen Junwu's biography was published, written by Zhang Wenxin (), a well known Luoyang-based author. While he's absent to attend the funeral of his elder sister Chen Shunyao on August 3. 2019. == Family ==