A two-time Olympian, Chen represented China at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. At the Barcelona Olympics she lost in the first round to eventual bronze medalist Mary Joe Fernández. In Atlanta she competed in both the singles and doubles draws. She lost to top seed Monica Seles in the singles but her and Yi Jing-Qian made the second round of the doubles competition.[4] They progressed in a walkover after fifth seeded Australian pairing had to withdraw when Rennae Stubbs was taken ill to hospital.[5] In the second round the Chinese pair were beaten in three sets by the team from Thailand.
Chen won a total of seven medals for China at the Asian Games. This includes a gold medal in the women's doubles with Li Fang at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.
In Fed Cup competition, Chen featured in 17 ties for a record 7–14 overall. One of these ties was against the United States in the second round of the World Group in the 1993 Federation Cup.