The court includes elaborate compositions of rocks. One large rock, part of a configuration salvaged from an abandoned garden near Tiger Hill at the edge of Suzhou, resembles a famous one in the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, and illustrates an important quality of rock aesthetic, that the base should be narrower than the peak. Another tall rock, the ling-long peak,Murck & Fong 1980–1981, p. 56 illustrates the much-prized "bony" and perforated quality of taihu rocks, which suggest lightness in spite of their massive weight. Such rocks have many-faceted meanings in Chinese culture.Murck & Fong 1980–1981, p. 52 Viewers are thought to be able to imagine themselves travelling a mental journey through the miniature landscape that the rocks evoke.Ming Garden (videorecording, 1983) Produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Department of Public Education and Equinox Films; Executive Producer Thomas Newman, Director Gene Searchinger, writer Alfreda Murck. Distributed by Home Vision, Chicago IL.
