Is being Chinese something to be proud of? Two pieces of widely commented information triggered a debate on the issue over the weekend.

One centered on a Weibo post submitted by a Chinese mainland editor who was asked at the checkpoint in Hong Kong whether she was pregnant.

"Citizens of the second largest economy in the world need visas wherever they go," complained the editor. "The possibility of us giving birth is feared everywhere else. Whom should we be mad at over this treatment?"

The other concerned a recent poll by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The headline that "Over 90 percent of those polled are proud of being Chinese" was soon spread all over cyberspace.

The attention-grabbing survey result was actually taken out of context. The survey, conducted in 10 provinces, found Chinese placed their national identity highest, and culture and institutions lowest.

But the two pieces of news, placed together, conjure the contradictory attitude of Chinese toward their identity.

Many people have had moments of feeling happy and at other times have felt upset about being Chinese.

The comprehensive strength of the country is growing all the more daunting, and the presence of the country is felt globally, but the influence individuals can wield seems to be much weaker.

Things like the visa denial rates and purchasing restrictions imposed on Chinese mainland tourists haven't decreased as national power rises.

In contrast, holding a Hong Kong passport is much more convenient when it comes to traveling, adding to the mainland public's frustration.

The public feels they doesn't receive the respect and dignity that match the country's global status.

Size is a double-edged sword. While foreign companies marvel at Chinese consumers' purchasing power, they also scare local residents when shelves of dairy products in the super market are emptied by Chinese tourists. More pregnant Chinese women have increasingly become a concern for other countries and regions.

The trouble is not exclusive to ordinary people. Public figures can also experience the difficulties of obtaining a visa or being shamed when crossing a border. A lot of people vent their dissatisfaction toward the country's institutions, blaming the political system for the extra trouble caused to the Chinese passport holders.

Various reasons may be responsible for all kinds of domestic woes, from poor medical conditions to choking competition for educational resources. Better welfare and educational conditions are automatically attractive to the emerging middle class from elsewhere.

Japanese and South Koreans once picked the US and elsewhere to give birth, but moms-to-be from China raise the alarm because of their large numbers.

Chen Wen-hsien, a commentator from Taiwan, once sympathized with mainland public's discontent toward the high visa rejection rate in her Sina Weibo.

She commented that "when someday the mainland's GDP per capita reaches $25,000, you can go wherever you go. Some issues are related to politics, some are only related to money."

World Bank data shows that China's GDP per capita, at $6,091 in 2012, ranks 90th in the world, between Iraq and the Dominican Republic.

That number probably gives a better sense of Chinese individuals' position in the world. Nearly all emerging powers endure both glory and shame. The contrast is just far too high in China.

The author is a commentator with the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn