As a writer and director, Chen began gaining momentum in 2004 with Manhole, which Variety praised as “a fine standard-bearer for quality Chinese commercial cinema”. He received international acclaim for One Foot Off the Ground (2006), which earned him a Golden Rooster Award along with several other international honours. In 2010, he made headlines with What Women Want, a romantic comedy starring Andy Lau and Gong Li in their first collaboration. His recent works include the thriller Unspoken (2023), a China–Canada co-production that received a Special Mention at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, as well as Moscow Mission, which he wrote. A graduate of the prestigious Beijing Film Academy, he has also contributed significantly to film education, serving as Artistic Director at the Shanghai Vancouver Film School and currently mentoring PhD students at the Shanghai Film Academy.