The Statue of Liberty.

That green giant sister standing tall at the entrance of New York Harbor holding a torch, haha.

The Statue of Liberty was not originally a symbol of American immigration.

It was actually a statue sent by France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American independence.

It was kind of like "Congratulations on American independence! Our friendship forever~"

Around 1876, France suddenly decided, "Let's make a monument and send it to America."

So the sculptor Bartholdi was in charge of the design, and the internal iron structure was made by that Eiffel guy who built the Eiffel Tower.

It was grandly named "Liberty Enlightening the World".

But the funny thing is, when it actually arrived in America, people were like 'Wow, what is this?' and were not impressed at all.

They had disassembled the huge structure and shipped it on a boat. It took several years to assemble as soon as it arrived.

They even had to fundraise because they were short on installation costs. The really interesting part comes after that.

In 1892, when Ellis Island opened as an official immigration processing center near New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty naturally came to face immigrants.

When millions of European immigrants arrived by ship in America, who was the first thing they saw?

It was that green sister. Wearing a crown, holding a torch, standing expressionless.

From that point on, the image began to change slowly.

America became known as the land of freedom, and the moment one saw the Statue of Liberty, it signified a new beginning in life.... This message started to spread through media, literature, and later even movies.

For immigrants, it was not just a simple sculpture, but literally a symbol of hope.

And the decisive blow was when a poem called The New Colossus written by Emma Lazarus was inscribed on the pedestal of the statue in 1903.

There is a line in that poem. "Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me."

This is simply a tribute to immigrants. It literally says, "It was tough, right? Now try starting anew here."

The irony is that America was not such a friendly country to immigrants at that time.

Discrimination was severe, and there was a lot of labor exploitation. Yet, many people must have looked at the Statue of Liberty and sighed in relief, thinking, 'Ah, I finally arrived.'

In the end, all of this accumulated, and the Statue of Liberty naturally became a symbol of American immigration.

In movies and documentaries, that sister always appears in the background, and whenever the American Dream is mentioned, she is always referenced.

To see her up close, you have to go by boat with tourists, and when you look at her for a long time, you can't help but feel a strange emotion.

"What were the feelings of countless people who looked at her?" When that thought comes to mind, it makes you feel a bit choked up.

She is not just a statue but has been the starting line of a new life for countless immigrants until now.

Thus, I think the Statue of Liberty still remains an icon of American immigration today.