Tuoguan or Barlifting
拓关
Tuoguan has another name Qiaoguan, which means to lift the bar of the city gate with hand. Thus, here "tuo" means lift, and "guan" is the bar of the city gate.
拓，即举；关，就是城门的门栓。拓关又称翘关，就是用手举起城门上的大门栓。
During the Period of Spring and Autumn, people focused on the building of the cities, especially the capital of the state because of the continuous wars. The city gate was often built much broader and thicker, so that it was both convenient for the army to pass and helpful to defend the country. The gate needed a huge bar, which was rather heavy then. When we mean "Tuoguan", ii does not mean to lift it up only, but to lift it up by holding one end of it. According to certain information, the "city gate" was usually four-to-five-zhang in breadth, and the bar of it was almost the same, therefore, it is not easy to lift up a four-to-five-zhang long bar by holding one end.
春秋战国时期，因为战事频繁，人们对于筑城尤其是修筑一个国家的都城都十分重视，其中的城门更是建得又宽又厚，以既便于军队出行，又有利于防御。城门巨大，所以当时的门栓十分笨重。拓关并非简单地把门栓举起来就了事，而是用两手抓住门栓的一端，把门栓举起来。根据有关资料，当时的“国门”通常有四五丈宽，门栓的长度与此相当，可想而知，抓住一根四五丈长的粗木头的一端，再把它举起来，不是一件容易的事情。
Tuoguan was a special weightlifting sport in ancient China. It was usually practised in the army with the aim to exercise the strength of arm. In the ancient wars of China, the spear was sharp and could be used to attack the enemy from distance, so it was often used in the army, especially in the cavalry. It was usually about one zhang and eight chi long. Some were even made of iron and very heavy. When the soldiers used the spear, they held the end of it in order to bring its efficacy into ultimate play. Which was similar to it Tuoguan. Therefore, to practice Tuoguan had its special use in training the warriors' muscle.
拓关是中国古代的一项特殊的举重活动，不过，这种举重活动多在军中进行，目的是锻炼军人的臂力。在中国古代战争中，长枪因为其尖利，能远距离击敌而成为军中、尤其是骑兵中最常使用的一种兵器。长枪通常长一丈八尺左右，有的甚至通体用铁制成，很是笨重。军人在用枪时，为了最大限度地发挥长枪的效能，尽量握枪的尾端，这种用力方式，与拓关极为相似。因此，拓关对增强军人的臂力有特殊的作用。
According to the historical record, Tuoguan was paid much attention to in the Tang dynasty. When Tang Taizong chose his soldiers in the cavalry, he considered "to lift the bar five times in one breath" as the necessary qualification. Another information in“The New Book about Tang Imperial Examination”says Wu Zetian started the Gongfu Examinations, and Tuoguan was one of the subjects. It was required that the attendants of the examination should lift the bar up(which is one-zhang-and-seven-chi long with the diameter of three point and five can)ten times continuously, and the point he held the bar should be in a distance less than one chi to the end. After the Tang dynasty, Stone-lifting became the main stream, and Tuoguan disappeared in the society.
史料记载，唐代对拓关活动十分重视，唐太宗在选拔“飞骑”部队成员时，就把能“翘关五举”即一口气拓关5次作为必要条件。另据《新唐书·选举志》，唐代从武则天开始设武举，武举的考试科目中就有拓关，并规定必须一连举起长一丈七尺、直径三寸半的门栓10次，而且举门栓时后手离门栓的末端不得超过一尺。
唐朝以后，举石成为举重活动的主流，拓关渐渐退出了历史舞台。
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