One of the nice things of living in China is to witness the feel-good energy that (most) people receive from the tremendous growth the country is going through. Development can be turbulent, but I am receiving a lot of smiles on the street as well. I was talking with a 60 year old Chinese woman in a plane from Beijing, and she was so excited to fly for the first time that it made me smile. There was sheer joy and even a little cheer throughout the plane when we took off, as if we were in a fun park ride. It made me happy as well.

That exact energy, sheer joy can also be experienced at a local IKEA store. According to the Shanghaiist, the Chinese see the store as a play land, rather then a furniture store.

Every weekend, thousands of looky-loos pour into the massive showroom to use the displays. Some hop into bed, slide under the covers and sneak a nap; others bring cameras and pose with the decor. Families while away the afternoon in the store for no other reason than to enjoy the air conditioning or have picnics in the dining room furniture area.

I asked one of my fellow Swedish students (I studied in the region where Ingvar Kamprad started IKEA) who is currently a manager at a Chinese IKEA, he told me it’s interesting to see the Chinese behave this way. I agree, that the Chinese behave totally different at IKEA.

Beside the picnics and naps, these simple occurrences of new wealth, experiences and enjoyment of lifestyle is one of the things that make living in Shanghai so great.

Photo from Hi Shanghai