Chinese stone lock history?

[ghostexorcist]

When did these weights first appear. I've read that they were created during the Han Dynasty. But I have also heard the locks were created by Shaolin. I'm sticking with the "Han" idea since it sounds more historically accurate.

Who made and sold the blocks? Did ancient Chinese armies train with these locks? Where these used as weight measures before being adopted for martial arts training? I would especially like to know about the use of these locks during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Could someone show me actual sourced reference material on this subject. English or Chinese, it doesn't matter.

[David Jamieson]

they were likely more familiar to sailors at first.

they were likely either stone anchors used with junk ships and alternately, they could have also been large weights for use with trade goods.

if you look for their origins in martial arts and fitness you will likely dead end.