Han was born and raised in Lingshi County, Shanxi.

He joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in March 1936 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in April 1937.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he had served as a propagandist, captain, director, and political commissar.

During the Chinese Communist Revolution, he was a regimental commander in the People's Liberation Army.

Han Shu's wife was once the leading lady in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Song and Dance Troupe, his daughter is a noted musician in Canada, his granddaughter Cecilia Han is a noted singer and actress in China.