Chen Wan-neng was born into a family of tinsmiths in 1942. His grandfather Chen Tzu came to Taiwan alone in the waning years of the Qing dynasty after hearing about the prosperity of Lukang, and here he made a living as a tinsmith.
錫器工藝師陳萬能，一九四二年出生於錫工世家，祖父陳賜在清朝末年即耳聞台灣鹿港的繁榮，便隻身來台，定居鹿港，靠打錫維生。