 Shu was born into a Slalom canoeing family in Shiyantan village (石眼潭村), Jiangkouya town (江口墟镇), Mayang, Hunan.His elder brother Shu Yong (舒用) was the gold medalist in K1 at two national games and the gold medalist at the 2000 Asian Championships.His elder female cousin Shu Zhenghua (舒正华) was also a canoeist.