The LA Times had an article recently that’s worth checking out: Beijing loves IKEA — but not for shopping. It highlight some of the differences between Chinese and American culture, where malls are places to play rather than shop, and the wonders of a Swedish furniture store are more like Disneyland than a foreign K-Mart.

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.

Purchasing anything at Yi Jia, as the store is called here, can seem like an afterthought. “It’s the only big store in Beijing where a security guard doesn’t stop you from taking a picture,” said Jing Bo, 30, who was looking for promising backdrops for a photograph of his girlfriend.

In the IKEA at the West Edmonton Mall in Canada I fondly recall a ball playpen where children could be left unattended (well supervised by IKEA personnel) until their parents returned from shopping. In China, IKEA itself is the playground.