General Ch'en Kuang-yuan was born at Wuchinghsien, Chihli in 1878. He received military education from the Peiyang Military Academy and served in the Peiyang Army through different ranks. In 1912, the first year of the Republic General Ch'en Kuang-yuan was given the rank of Brigadier-General. In July 1913, he was appointed Occupation Commissioner of Chihfeng, Jehol Special District, which position he held until May 1914 when it was abolished. The troops that were then in his command were the 12th Division. He was ordered to move his sɔldiers to Ksiyuan or the western suburb of Peking for the protection of Peking. In May, 1917 when General Tuan Chi-jui, Prime Minister, was dismissed by a mandate in consequence of his decision to force the Parliament to pass a bill on China's declaration of war against Germany, and all military governors of the different provinces assembled at Peking and schemed to overthrow the administration of President Li Yuan-hung, General Chen Kuang-yuan was appointed Assistant Commander-in-chief of the Metropolitan Precautionary Force by General Wang Shih-cheng, then Prime Minister, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Force. General Chen assisted General Tuan Chi-jui in the movement to overthrow Chang Hsun's monarchical movement and restore the Republic in July 1917. His troops on this occasion rendered no small service. They fought General Chang Hsun's soldiers by way of Hsichihmen and successfully drove them into their head quarters and finally cornered them. On July 27th 1917 General Chen was appointed Tutung of Charhar Special District. However, a mandate issued on August 6, 1917 transferred him to the post of Tuchun of Kiangsi. In October 1920 General Ch'en was made a Full General. In June 1922 General Ch'en was relieved of the post of Kiangsi Tuchun and commander of the 12th Division.
