In 1996 Chen won the 5th Award for Folk Arts with his Qi Clan Saber. In the meantime he was also displaying literary accomplishment, publishing such works as "Zen and Autumn Water," "Three Feet of Autumn Water," "A Mind for Swords, a Heart for Poetry," "My Life as a Sword Maker," and "Passing the Torch to a New Generation of Swordmakers."
一九九六年，陳天陽再以「戚家刀」獲得第五屆民族工藝獎，這位內外雙修的鑄劍藝師，還陸續出版了《禪與秋水》、《三尺秋水》、《劍膽詩心》、《劍爐歲月》、《劍的薪傳》等等論劍書籍。