Shui was born in Kaiping Country, Guangdong Province, China, in 1914. He studied at Hangzhou National College of Art (Painting Department), graduating in 1937, as well as National College of Art (Western Painting Department), which he graduated from in 1940. Following his graduation, he moved to Singapore where he taught art and Chinese Language at Catholic High School from 1948 to 1977. He was a regular exhibitor at major group exhibitions in Singapore and an active member of the Society of Chinese Artists. Additionally, he was also involved in artistic tours with the Ten Men Art Group to places in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s.
From 1968 on, Shui worked completely in wood carving. He believed his teak sculptures were oriental in style and must impart a sense of reality, showing the hardworking lives of the ordinary people engaging in their ordinary activities. Being made with an absolute purity of intent to represent the living world, Shui’s oeuvre becomes the locus where art and life come closest.