As a son of Marshal Chen Yi, he was one of China's most prominent princelings, or children of high officials.
He held the rank of colonel when he quit his military and government posts in 1992 and entered business.
His military background and princeling status helped his businesses expand to great sizes.
He was an early director of privately held Anbang, which grew into an insurance giant.
In 2013, he made national headlines when he publicly confessed and apologized for torturing and persecuting his teachers during the Cultural Revolution.
He has been called the "conscience" of princelings.