Chen was born Chen ZhiLing in the Hunan provenance of China. At the age of 10 she was chosen to train at the Hunan [Academy for the Performing Arts] in the fields of ballet, juggling, and acrobatics. During a hospital stay for repeated leg injuries Chen witnessed a television performance by Shimada, prompting her interest in learning to perform magic. Chen would later immigrate to Canada in the hopes of achieving success outside of China.