Person

Mar, Shu

• 馬侑

• Mah, Shu
• Mah, Sow
• Mah, Sui Dak
• Bun Lut

1890-[1952]

MAR Shu was among one of the first Chinese to be born in Canada, on September 17, 1890 in Nanaimo, B.C. Yet, upon his return to Canada in 1909 from a trip to China, he was issued a Chinese immigration entry certificate under the Chinese Immigration Act.

Mar Shu lived in Nanaimo where he raised his children (Cecil, Bea, and Mary) as a widower, his wife having passed away in 1924.

Mar Shu had a small patch of tall, red poppies in his backyard garden. Visiting China as a young man, he had acquired the habit of smoking opium.

Mar Shu was an entrepreneur and tried his hand at a variety of businesses. According to the book “Chow: From China to Canada” authored by his granddaughter, Janice, “He had a sock knitting machine and shoe making tools. He worked as a carpenter and artisan, fashioning rings … from horn and ivory, and once carved a door … (for a) wealthy woman in Nanaimo city.”

His longest running venture was a restaurant, described as “a rented space where he cooked and served Chinese food – delicacies like roasted duck…and sweets – candies, sugar cookies, almond cookies and jelly rolls.” Many years after leaving Nanaimo, his friends and former patrons spoke longingly of his fresh-baked bread.

During the Great Depression, when many people were forced to use food stamps, Mar Shu’s landlord reclaimed the restaurant space. Undeterred, he opened a small restaurant in the family home, “cooking in the small kitchen and serving in the modified front room.”

Mar Shu passed away in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in the early 1950s.

Mar, Beatrice (1919-2001)

Mar, Mary (1922-2020)

Description supplied by collector/curator