After the Beijing Dance Academy was founded in 1954, Chen was transferred to study there.

Chen is among the first dancers trained after the founding of the People's Republic of China and one of the most influential dance masters in the world. Since 1957, she has starred in the ballets Fish Beauty, White-Haired Girl and Farewell My Concubine. A Dream of Red Mansions is her favorite and the ballet premiered in 1981, combining traditional Chinese dance with Western ballet and modern dance. The Chinese classic has been staged more than 600 times in a span of 36 years.

In addition, Chen is still an outstanding dance educator. In 1989, she founded her art group Ailian Troupe. And in 1995, she founded the Ailian Dance School.