Mike Chen

Chen Xing, known professionally as Mike “Mikey” Xing Chen, was born in Xi’an, China, in 1980 or 1981, and moved to the United States at the age of eight. He spent his formative years in the American Midwest, where he gained initial work experience in his parents’ Chinese buffet businesses. He pursued higher education at Truman State University, majoring in accounting with an initial aspiration to become an FBI agent. During his time at university, he also served as a resident assistant. Following his graduation, Chen embarked on a career in finance, accepting a position as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley. He remained in this role for a year, departing in 2006 to pursue other interests.

After leaving Morgan Stanley, Chen transitioned into the non-profit sector, joining New Tang Dynasty Television as the head of digital strategy. His motivation for this move stemmed from his practice of Falun Gong and a desire to raise awareness about human rights issues in China. Concurrently, he supplemented his income by filming weddings. Collaborating with other employees at New Tang Dynasty Television, Chen co-created the YouTube channel “Off the Great Wall,” which explored various aspects of Chinese culture. In 2013, he expanded his digital presence by launching a series of vlogs centered on food, leading to the establishment of multiple YouTube channels including “Cook With Mikey” (formerly Pho the Love of Food), “Eat With Mikey,” and his flagship channel, “Strictly Dumpling.” He also developed “Beyond Science,” a channel dedicated to discussing unexplained phenomena, and a personal channel named “Mike Chen.”

In 2015, citing creative differences, Chen departed from New Tang Dynasty Television and “Off the Great Wall” alongside his colleague, Dan Chen. Together, they launched “The Double Chen Show” on YouTube. Following this, Chen, Dan, and Yi Yang relocated from New York to San Francisco, California. During this period, they also initiated two additional sub-channels: “The Double Chen News,” providing commentary on current events in China, and “Awesome Toy Review!,” which featured toy reviews. In 2016, Dan and Yang returned to New York, and Chen continued with “The Double Chen Show” and “The Double Chen News,” rebranding them as “The Chen Dynasty” and “The CheNews,” respectively, based on suggestions from his audience. By 2019, Chen received a nomination in the Best in Food category at the 11th Shorty Awards, acknowledging his contributions to digital content creation. He also announced plans to open a Korean steakhouse named Karne in Dallas, Texas. In 2021, Chen relocated to Allen, Texas, from Seattle, Washington, and married Christine Ahn in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 12, 2021. Christine Ahn filed for legal separation from Chen on September 4, 2025, which included a temporary restraining order filing.