Chinese messaging app WeChat dominates its domestic market, as its would-be foreign competitors are often blocked in China. Today, WeChat has removed what could be considered its most “American” feature: a famous photo of Earth called?Blue Marble taken from outer space in 1972 by NASA. For years, the image was prominently displayed on the app’s start screen, but WeChat is replacing NASA’s photo with one taken by a Chinese satellite. Both images are Photoshopped to have the silhouette of a human standing before the Earth.

　　中国的聊天软件微信可谓稳占国内市场，其他潜在的外来竞争者则在进军中国市场的过程中屡屡受挫。就在今天，微信换掉了颇具美洲特征的启动页图片。照片素材是NASA(美国宇航局)于1972年在外太空拍摄的一张关于地球的完整照片，名为“蓝色弹珠”。多年来，这张照片一直作为微信的启动页图片，但现如今微信则更换了NASA拍摄的这张地球照，更新成一张由中国气象卫星拍摄的气象云图。两版图片都通过PS技术，最后呈现出一个人影站立在地球前方的画面。

　　The difference is subtle but political. The NASA photo shows Africa as the center of the sphere, while the Chinese photo shows China. According to Sina.com, WeChat said in a statement that while the African continent is the origin of human civilization, it was also important to show the app’s millions of users the significance of Chinese civilization.

　　两版图片的差别虽然微乎其微，但政治意义却不容小觑。NASA拍的那张图片传达的信息为非洲是地球的中心，而新的界面图片则重在展示华夏文明。据新浪网报道，微信团队在声明中透露，虽然非洲大陆是人类文明的起源，但希望借此次“变脸”的机会，向亿万微信用户展示博大精深的中华文明，这一点也非常重要。

　　WeChat had used the Blue Marble photo as its start screen since its inception in 2011, but changed it today just as the Chinese satellite Feng Yun-4A was put into official use after months of trial testing. The satellite was launched into space last December. Its name literally means “wind” and “cloud.”

　　自2011年微信推出之后，该软件就一直采用“蓝色弹珠”作为启动页图片。此次正值中国气象卫星“风云四号”A星在数月测试之后正式交付使用。该卫星于去年十二月份成功发射，其字面意思就是英文中的“风”和“云”。