William C.C. Chen was born in Chekiang, China. He started teaching Tai Chi Chuan while a live-in student of the famous Great-Grandmaster Cheng Man-Ching, a.k.a. “Professor Cheng.” In addition to being the youngest of Professor Cheng's senior students, he was also a favorite disciple. During that time, Chen competed in various freestyle Wushu, or Chinese martial arts. In 1958, he won second place in the Taiwan National Olympic Competition.

Chen has devoted his life to the study of Tai Chi Chaun, particularly the body mechanics, the art of self-defense, its effects on physical health, and the application of its principles. He aims to make Tai Chi Chuan simple, easy, natural, enjoyable, and productive.

An instructor since 1952, Chen has taught in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hawaii, and throughout the United States. He established the William C.C. Chen Tai Chi Chuan school in New York City's Chelsea area in 1965. He also regularly gives special seminars on the body mechanics of Tai Chi Chuan in Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Regarded as one of the finest and most influential stylists of his generation, Chen was Inside Kung-Fu’s Man of the Year in 2000, the magazine’s first Hall of Fame inductee of the millennium.