This article depicts chronologically the life of Chen Wen-shu, a well-known poet during the Qian-Jia Period, from 1771 to 1803. This biography presents Chen’s life experience in travels, social activities and academic publications before he was 35. The biography is based on Chen’s collected work, literary works written by his contemporaries, biographies in local gazette (fangchi方志) and other sources. The sources and bibliographical discussions are attached at the end of the article for further reference.