Predebut Chen was born in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. He worked as a part-time model at the age of 17. He later graduated from the
Shanghai Conservatory of Music with a degree in musical drama. Prior to his debut as an actor, Chen trained to be a singer at
Cube Entertainment in Korea and was selected to be in the lineup for
BTOB. In 2012, he began filming his first acting role in
Tiny Times. Thereafter, he starred in the subsequent installments of the film series from 2013 to 2015.
Tiny Times became a hugely successful movie franchise in China, and propelled Chen into fame. In 2014, Chen also joined
Hunan TV's variety show
Grade One where he assumed the role of a temporary homeroom teacher. The same year, Chen starred in his first comedy film,
Bad Sister where he acted as a barista. In 2015, Chen was announced to be the Chinese dub for
Paddington Bear in the comedy film,
Paddington. The same year, he starred in the comedy film
Oh My God, produced by
Zhang Ziyi.
2016–present: Mainstream success In 2016, Chen starred in the youth fashion drama
Yes! Mr. Fashion. This marks his first small-screen leading role. The same year, he starred in spy drama,
Decoded where he played the role of an autistic mathematical genius.
Decoded was a commercial success, and Chen won the Best On-screen Performance award with Ying Er at the
China TV Drama Awards. Chen reunited with
Tiny Times director Guo in the fantasy blockbuster
L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties. The same year, he starred in
Zhang Yimou's historical film
The Great Wall. In 2017, he made his walkway debut at the Dolce & Gabbana Fall runway for the Milan Fashion Week in January. In June, he starred in the youth melodrama
Rush to the Dead Summer. The same year he starred in the caper film
The Big Call, the first Chinese movie to focus on telecommunications fraud. Chen ranked 40th on
Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2017. In 2018, Chen starred in the wuxia film
Kung Fu Monster. The same year, he was cast in the youth musical drama
So Young. == Philanthropy ==