A commentary piece recently published in your newspaper says that migration is a trade off, citing the awkward situations of several Chinese in Australia. This will definitely strike a chord among many Chinese migrants who have found life abroad not as easy and satisfying as they once imagined. Apart from unexpected harsh realities, a large number of Chinese migrants have been dealing with prohibitive psychological pressure.

Currently, China is the biggest source of investment immigrants in the US, with an approximately 70 percent increase in the number of Chinese citizens acquiring EB-5 visas over the past seven years.

The migration boom has created a social elite, but also given rise to a myriad of problems. Wang Qinggen, winner of the gold medal of the International Chemistry Olympiad, a PhD from Stanford University, and former chief software engineer at PayPal, committed suicide at the age of 40 in 2012. In addition to a successful career, he had a happy family with a loving wife and two smart kids. The news came as a shock to overseas Chinese.

The US is just one of the many destinations for Chinese migrants. Western and Northern Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea have gradually become quite popular for their blue skies, unpolluted air, improved social welfare, better education chances as well as all the benefits a permanent residency could bring.

However, though driven by different motives to migrate to another country, Chinese migrants are usually haunted by a wide spectrum of challenges, notably the language barrier, culture shock, devaluation of education qualifications acquired in China, a lack of social support, discrimination and isolation. Many of them suffer from poor mental health but they choose to keep pain to themselves.

For Chinese Canadians, poor economic performance, divergent sociocultural views, and an increasing boycott against China-related elements in the so-called "melting pot" have been prompting them to flee.

A 2011 investigation report on the life of skilled migrants in New Zealand revealed that Asian communities were the least satisfied with their life among those surveyed from 60 countries and regions. California State University East Bay found through a survey in 2013 that depression had become a major hidden killer among overseas Chinese, in particular new migrants.

And another problem concerning Chinese migrants has become increasingly apparent. Most established immigrants expect their children born in a foreign land to develop more understanding of the profound Chinese culture to remind them of their origin and identity. It was reported in May that some Chinese communities from the US and New Zealand even came to a Beijing-based community library in hopes of introducing its model back in the West to create a favorable reading environment for their young generation to cherish the traditions of the ancient Chinese civilization.

Besides the predicaments of living abroad, massive psychological stress and a loss of traditional culture may well offset all the bonuses a foreign citizenship can bring.

Wang Xinke, a freelance writer based in Beijing