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).
The Cozy Study Blog
At the beginning of 2025, I had hoped to grow the amount of content and publish new posts at a regular pace (around 2 or more posts a month), but sadly, I published fewer than 10 posts in total in 2025.
I have so many ideas and started many drafts that never made it to a finished post. The long-awaited guide on historical content also never came to light.
Although little new content was published, traffic to the blog increased steadily throughout 2025. The growth came from increased visibility on search engines, readers sharing it with their communities, and an interview I did with Danmei Dream. The interview was a lot of fun, so I hope to do more in the future.
Blog Stats (2025)
Pageviews: 31,000 (from 1st Jan 2025 to 31st Dec 2025)
Top Countries: United States, Singapore, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, Australia, China, India, Russia, Germany, Malaysia, France, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Spain
The Future
Last year, I didn’t set any goals or define a roadmap for this blog, but this year I want to take a more deliberate approach. I’ve decided to set specific milestones to work towards, as I have a few ideas I want to accomplish.
The first goal, and one that I plan to start right away, is to finalise the majority of the drafts that have been sitting around and finally publish them for you all to read.
After finishing that initial backlog of drafts, I want to publish a series of list-style posts. In these, I’ll share my personal recommendations for books, TV shows, movies, and even games that have caught my attention recently.
Finally, I want to focus on finishing and publishing the long-awaited historical guide I’ve been promising!
Chinese Journey
I mentioned earlier that 2025 was a bit stressful, which unfortunately meant my Chinese studies took a back seat. My reading, in particular, took a massive hit; between the lack of motivation and lack of energy to focus, I struggled to finish more than five books.
However, my Chinese studies did take a different turn. Instead of hours of reading, I spend many hours playing games in Chinese. Infinity Nikki and My Time at Sandrock were the biggest contributors to this. These were perfect for taking the language to another level—they both have great Chinese voice acting, hundreds of hours of content, and since they’re made by Chinese studios, the dialogue feels natural and authentic. Honestly, the perfect formula for Chinese second language learners.
Playing games in Chinese is way more demanding than reading a book. While reading mainly involves just following the narrative, playing a game for a complete immersive experience requires processing multiple elements at once, including the story, gameplay mechanics, menus, options, skills and items. It’s a big workout for the brain.
One thing I’ve noticed, though, is that I’m still not great at quickly understanding short phrases at a glance; I need to pause and read them. This is particularly noticeable when looking at menus, settings options, and tutorial prompts. I know this will naturally improve with exposure, so it’s not something I plan to set aside time to practice—well, I just need to play more games in Chinese, right?
Chinese Media
The list is a little short this year, but nonetheless, here we go…
Favourite Games
- Infinity Nikki – I mentioned Infinity Nikki in the 2024 round-up, and I still feel it’s an awesome game to play in Chinese. It’s developed by a Chinese studio, so the dialgues feel natural and not awkward. Also, it features Chinese voice acting in all main story scenes. By the end of 2025, the game had seen a full year of updates, including a major expansion released in early December. In those 12 months, there were many ups and downs, particularly around the monetisation and some rework on the story, but despite that, it’s still a wonderful game to play in Chinese. Compared to other free-to-play open-world Chinese gacha games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, Infinity Nikki is also much more approachable for learners of Chinese as a second language.
- My Time at Sandrock – This is a gem of a game that I must mention. My Time at Sandrock is an RPG with life-sim elements (such as relationships and town-building), all wrapped around a well-crafted, exciting story. It’s developed by a small Chinese studio, and a large portion of the dialogue is voiced. It’s a brilliant game for experienced learners who want to take their Chinese to the next level.
Favourite Chinese drama
- 《猎罪图鉴》 Under the Skin I & II – A show that has been recommended to me multiple times, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. A crime mystery with a bit of a twist—one of the main characters is a portrait artist, and he uses his skills to help the police force draw the suspect according to the victim’s and witnesses’ descriptions. I feel the direction in season two went a little overboard, but nevertheless, both seasons 1 and 2 are great mystery shows.
- 《九重紫》 Blossom – This has to be the fastest-paced historical drama I’ve ever watched. The story follows the main character, an ordinary housewife deceived by her husband, as she receives a second chance in life and is transmigrated back to her teenage self. With the knowledge of the future, she sets out to change her fate by her teenage years, studying business and politics, ensuring that she will one day have the insight and power to outsmart those who once took advantage of her. This one is a real gem in the transmigration trope! I like that the main character didn’t magically become smart after being given a second chance.
- 《墨雨云间》 The Double – I really loved 《墨雨云间》 The Double. I binged this one in just a few days. 《墨雨云间》 The Double follows the story of the main character, who takes on the identity of the daughter of a noble, as she seeks revenge from all those who wronged her and her friend. Definitely my favourite show I watched in 2025. Highly recommend this one.
- 《不眠日》 Mobius – This one is a time loop mixed with mystery, one of my favourite combos. I won’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil anything, but if time loops and mysteries are something you enjoy, please watch this one! It’s available on Netflix.
Favourite Books
- 《督主有病》 – This was a challenging read, but absolutely worth the effort. The story follows two close friends who find themselves on vastly different paths—almost in opposing organisations. You follow their long journey to find one another again, fall in love (as expected of a danmei), and ultimately leave their original world behind to build a new life together. It may sound like a fluffy romance, but believe me, it’s a plot-heavy story with only a small amount of romance. Be aware that the couple spend quite a bit of time apart, especially at the beginning.
- 《当年万里觅封侯》 – Recommended to me by a friend, and I was glad for this recommendation. The story starts after the main characters (they’re acquaintances at this point) have been apart for many years. Much of the first quarter of the story contained flashbacks of their previous time together. I discussed more about this in my review of 《当年万里觅封侯》 as I’m not a huge fan of flashbacks, and I know many aren’t either. Despite that, the rest of the story is smooth, with a simple political plot. 《当年万里觅封侯》 is a brilliant book for those with experience in reading Chinese books and who want to step into historical-themed content.