Shwing Chen was born in Colombo on 1 September 1934, the fourth child and first son of a dentist. He was educated at Wesley College, Colombo, where he won the medal for Best Scholar, 1954, and the Gooch Prize at Colombo Medical Faculty. He came to England and held posts at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, and Hammersmith Hospital. He was orthopaedic senior registrar at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He married Ai Bow Yoe in 1957 and they had one daughter and three sons. His hobbies included sailing, table tennis, basketball and swimming. He participated in the Boy Scouts Movement and the St John Ambulance Association. He died in 1993.