As a member of the Kuomintang, he served two terms as Hsinchu County Magistrate from 1981 to 1989.
Chen then spent the next decade with the Taiwan Provincial Government.
He supported James Soong's 2000 presidential campaign, and later served one term in the Legislative Yuan affiliated with the People First Party.
While representing his native Hsinchu County district, Chen worked to pass the Unauthorized Filming Prevention Law to regulate the use of hidden cameras.