The Cozy Study – Acquire Chinese from the comfort of your home

2025 Round Up – Chinese Games, Favourite Media

updated on January 22, 2026January 22, 2026Leave a Comment

2025 was a busy and stressful year, as I had many things going on in my life, which unfortunately took up much of my time and mental energy.

As a result, the time I could dedicate to reading in Chinese decreased significantly. My motivation to work on this blog was also low due to difficulty focusing for long periods to write.

However, I did compensate for the lack of reading with other means, such as playing games entirely in Chinese (with Chinese audio, subtitles, and UI), watching informative YouTube videos on Chinese history, and engaging with Red Note (a popular Chinese social media platform).

Games

Is Infinity Nikki 2.0 worth playing in Chinese?

updated on January 9, 2026December 31, 2025Leave a Comment

I’ve played Infinity Nikki almost daily since it launched in November 2024, and over the past year, I’ve seen all the drama, the ups, and the downs unfold in both the game and its community.

With so many ups and downs over the year, is Infinity Nikki still worth playing, particularly in Chinese? Well, the short answer is, yes.

Let’s discuss some aspects of Infinity Nikki in more detail, so you can decide for yourself if this is a game you want to try.

Books

《当年万里觅封侯》by 漫漫何其多 – An approachable early historical novel

updated on January 11, 2026October 29, 2025Leave a Comment

Historical setting novels are infamous for being challenging for Chinese second language learners. At the same time, it’s also very popular amongst learners, and many aspire to be able to read them comfortably someday.

So, I’m always on the lookout for suitable materials to help learners reach that goal.

Games Uncategorized

Shin Chan: Shiro of Coal Town

updated on July 26, 2025July 26, 2025Leave a Comment

As soon as I discovered that Shin Chan: Shiro of Coal Town has a Cantonese dub, I couldn’t say no to this game and purchased it straight away.

The cast for the Cantonese dub is the original Cantonese cast for the animation, so it’s nostalgia heaven for someone who loved the show as a kid.

Mandarin dub is also available, as well as Standard Written Chinese, in both Simplified and Traditional characters.

Guides Top Picks

Best Historical Chinese Dramas for Newcomers

updated on September 11, 2025April 3, 2025Leave a Comment

Chinese historical setting dramas are challenging for second-language learners due to their rich historical and cultural elements and the use of archaic language and dialogue.

To make your immersion journey easier, I have put together a selection of historical-theme Chinese dramas to help you dive into the genre.

TV Dramas

《墨雨云间》 The Double – A historical costume drama with a unique take on a revenge story

updated on March 4, 2025February 23, 2025Leave a Comment

《墨雨云间》 The Double is one of the most highly rated and spoken about Chinese historical costume dramas of 2024, and I’m sad that I missed the chance to join in with the hype for it during the release as it’s such a fantastic show with a unique take on revenge!

Games

Infinity Nikki 《无限暖暖》

updated on January 10, 2026January 16, 2025Leave a Comment

Infinity Nikki 《无限暖暖》is a free open-world cosy exploration adventure game with dressing up that’s available on various platforms, including PC, mobile and PS5.

You accompany Nikki and her feline companion, Momo, as they travel across Miraland on a journey to discover its mysteries and uncover the Miracle outfits. Along the way, you’ll discover hidden areas, solve puzzles, complete jumping tasks, play mini-games, find collectables and much more.

As Infinity Nikki 《无限暖暖》 is an extremely popular game, there is plenty of information and reviews online about this game, particularly on YouTube. Therefore, this post won’t focus on my review of the game but instead on what it’s like to play Infinity Nikki 《无限暖暖》in Chinese and my journey with it.

Guides Journey

2024 Round Up – New blog, Chinese journey and favourite media

updated on January 3, 2026January 6, 2025Leave a Comment

2024 has been a crazy year for my Chinese journey and other aspects of my life. I started this blog, I finished reading 天官赐福 in Chinese, and I finally feel that I’ve reached a comfortable spot in my Chinese journey.

In this post, I’ll talk about my blogging journey, things I’ve learnt from it, where my Chinese is, and some of my favourite media of the year.

Not only is this post for me to recap in the future but also, I hope, as an inspiration for you. I know you all love reading journey posts, so here goes…

TV Dramas

《七夜雪》 Snowy Night Timeless Love – Slow burn historical romance

updated on March 4, 2025December 30, 2024Leave a Comment

Snowy Night Timeless Love 《七夜雪》 is a slow-burn romance-focused historical drama with a snowy mountain backdrop and light martial arts elements.

Being a romance-focused drama, the main plot is extremely slow, and honestly, there’s not much of it. However, surprisingly, I enjoyed Snowy Night Timeless Love 《七夜雪》!

It’s not a show I’ll recommend to everyone, but it could be a great choice when you’re in the mood for something slow but with many beautiful aesthetic scenes.

Guides

Learn Chinese to read danmei webnovels for under $100

updated on April 21, 2025November 14, 2024Leave a Comment

Reading danmei in Chinese is the more cost-effective than reading the official translated versions, but the benefits go beyond the cost. It enables you to access content you otherwise couldn’t have and opens doors to new communities and fandoms.

You may think learning Chinese, especially to a high proficiency level to read danmei webnovels, will require taking an expensive course or studying for a few years in a Chinese-speaking country. This may have been true many years ago, but not in 2024.