Chen Yonggui was born in 1915 in a poor peasant family in Xiyang County, Shanxi Province, in that year of famine and war, the peasant life was very difficult, Chen Yonggui was five years old, his father took him out of his hometown to Dazhai in order to make a living, and began a new life. Soon after his father died, the young Chen Yonggui made a living herding sheep for the landlords.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen Yonggui had close contact with the Eighth Route Army, often reported enemy intelligence to him, was once arrested by the Japanese army, fortunately there was no evidence, plus everyone pooled money to entrust someone to bail him out, he was released, and later came to the county town to work, after the liberation of Xiyang County, land reform, Chen Yonggui who returned to the village was also assigned land and house, chen Yonggui joined the party in 1948, and served as deputy secretary of the party committee of Dazhai Village, in 1953 he served as the secretary of the party committee, leading the whole village to rely on themselves and work hard to change the agricultural production environment in his hometown. So that the agricultural production of Dazhai Village continues to create new achievements.
At the end of the 1950s, he twice participated in the Shanxi Provincial Agricultural Cooperative Congress, and served as the deputy secretary of the Standing Committee of the Hongqi Commune, the first people's commune in Xiyang County, in 1959, Chen Yonggui was invited to Beijing to participate in the National Day celebration, and was received by Chairman Mao.
In 1967, Chen Yonggui served as the deputy director of the Shanxi Revolutionary Committee, went to Beijing the following year to attend the Ninth National Congress, and was elected as a member of the Central Committee in 1969.
In 1975, the 60-year-old Chen Yonggui was elected vice premier of the State Council, although he was in a high position, but the sincere and simple Chen Yonggui has always maintained a simple dress, a white towel has been tied to his head, so that the people who are in contact with him feel very kind, Chen Yonggui, who adheres to principle and self-discipline, has not moved his hukou to Beijing after becoming vice premier, nor has he taken the state salary, diligently serves the people, and does his duty, in 1980, Chen Yonggui resigned from the post of vice premier, and died of illness in Beijing six years later. He died on December 31, 2012 at the age of 7
Chen Yonggui's original wife was Li Huyu, and the two married in 1941, and when they were 50 years old, their wives died of illness. At this time, Chen Yonggui is also a model for the whole country to learn, busy with affairs he has no time to take care of his own life, so the organization introduced him to Song Yulin acquaintance, the two got married shortly after getting acquainted, after which Chen Yonggui had Song Yulin's care, able to put all his energy into work, the two lived for 20 years, on April 6, 2018, Song Yulin died of illness at home in Dazhai Village, at the age of 92.
Chen Yonggui had three sons and a daughter and four children in his lifetime, the eldest son Chen Mingzhu was the only one among the brothers and sisters in politics, the father was strict with the education of his children, Chen Mingzhu did not receive special care for his father, he has been serving as the propaganda director of the county party committee in Xiyang County, and has now retired.
The second son, Chen Mingshan, joined the army after growing up, worked as an engineer in Shaanxi, and once had the opportunity to enter the military academy because of his excellent performance, and his future development should be very good, but Chen Yonggui felt that the second son should still be a worker, and later Chen Mingshan returned to work in the tractor factory in his hometown after being demobilized, and then transferred to the county electricity bureau until retirement. The only daughter worked in the Xiyang County Public Security Bureau until retirement.
The third son, Chen Liangming, was the best in the family, in 1986 he was admitted to Beijing Normal University, when he took the college entrance examination, his father had just died, Chen Yonggui had always hoped that the family could produce a college student, but unfortunately he could not see his son admitted to college and died of illness. Because of the limited living conditions, Chen Liangliang's university life has been work-study, developing a tenacious personality, after graduating from university, he has been the chairman of the Australian company, and then independently started his own business is now the chairman of Xinzhong Food Co., Ltd.