A native of Meishan, Meizhou (now Meishan City, Sichuan Province), his ancestral home is Luancheng, Hebei.

Su Shi was born in Meishan, Meizhou, on December 19, the third year of Jingyou's reign (January 8, 1037), the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. He was the successor of Su Weiwei, a minister of the early Tang Dynasty.

Su Weiwei was demoted to Meishan, Sichuan (today's Meishan City, Sichuan) as the governor in the early years of Shenlong. He died of illness soon and was buried in his hometown of Luancheng. He left a son in Mei, the ancestor of the Su family in Meishan, Sichuan. In the Song Dynasty, among the descendants of Su Weiwei who stayed in Sichuan, there were famous writers Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe and his son, the famous "Three Sus". Su Shi is the eleventh generation grandson of Su Weiwei. Su Shi's grandfather was Su Xu, whose cousin was Zhongxian, and his grandmother was Shi.

Su Shi's father, Su Xun, is the "Su Laoquan" mentioned in the "Three Character Classic" who "started to work hard at twenty-seven." Although Su Xun started working late, he worked hard. Su Shi's name "Shi" originally means the armrest in front of the car, which means that he is unknown but indispensable to help people in danger and rescue people in distress. Su Shi was open-minded and straightforward by nature, and was deeply influenced by Taoism. Good friends, good food, many delicious food creations, good tea, and elegant travels in the mountains and forests.