Chen Xinyi (1936) was born in Nanyang, Henan Province. He was from a well-known landholding family. When he was born, his father was in his 50s, his youngest brother was also 20 years older than him, and his eldest brother was already a local celebrity. When he was 15 years old, Chen was admitted to the Henan Art College (now merged with Henan University), the only art school in Henan. Here, he received a strict academic art education and systematically learned Western painting techniques such as gouache, watercolor, sketch, and oil painting. As soon as he graduated from Henan Art College, he was selected by the army as a special talent, and he began his military career specializing in art creation. Soon thereafter, he was lucky enough to be transferred to Beijing to participate in the design and installation of the Chinese Military Museum. In 1955, the Central Academy of Fine Arts started the Maksimov Oil Painting Training Class, personally taught by the famous Soviet oil painter Maksimov. Wu Zuoren strongly recommended Chen to participate. However, due to the lack of art talents in the army at that time, he had no choice but to let this excellent artistic opportunity pass.

During the Cultural Revolution, many people were affected by the issue of "family origin", and Chen was no exception. Nevertheless, after being ordered to "stand aside" many times, he was specifically assigned to create major themes due to propaganda needs. In 1983, he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the North Sea Fleet in charge of culture. After retiring in the 1990s, Chen, who is known for his Chinese painting and printmaking, turned to become a master in ceramic art, making his name among the ceramics makers in Jingdezhen.