Many of us agree Chinese people are not self-confident. But there is also an argument about why this is.

Some argue our lack of self-confidence should be blamed on the current political system, claiming that China's rejection of Western democracy results in prejudice and discrimination from the West, which stifles China's self-confidence. But this is a typical example of political sophistry.

Self-confidence comes from within. China's lack of self-confidence has accumulated over generations. 

Since China became a semi-colonized country because of the intrusions of Western powers in the 19th century, generations of Chinese people have suffered. This is the root cause of why Chinese are less psychologically prepared.

Since China has become peaceful once more, building up its self-confidence has been a slow process, mainly because it is hard to do so on the basis of a weak material fabric.

China's rise, to some extent, can be generalized as the process of restoring the country's self-confidence. This also applies to the US, which faced challenges that sapped its self-image in the 19th century after being largely dismissed by the then-powerful European nations.

China has demonstrated the effectiveness of its national path to economic development. But it still takes time for people to trust this path, because China's development is a meandering road with bursts of fortune.

Utterly fixing the problem of our national self-confidence demands years of effort. Priority should be given to consolidating material advantages and catching up with the world in many areas.

In the meantime, China needs a batch of highly self-confident talents in terms of professional capacity and public opinions. Not only will they recognize China's development pattern and believe in the future of this country, but also remain broad-minded on how to combine the experiences of other countries with China's own needs.

Having been semi-colonized for a century, China might need another century to wipe out this pernicious influence and restore its glory. Self-confidence, though invaluable for those who don't have it, will be regarded as commonplace once it has arrived.