Look Tin Eli (1870–1919) was a Chinese-American businessman from Mendocino, California, who achieved much success in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.
Born in 1870 in the back of the store on the south side of Mendocino Main Street, Look Tin Eli was the first Chinese American to graduate from Mendocino High School.As a boy, he was sent to China in 1879, prior to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, to learn the language and culture. Upon his return to San Francisco in 1884, he faced a legal challenge and was temporarily prohibited from re-entering the United States. Tin Eli challenged the decision at the federal level and eventually won his case.
As an adult, Look Tin Eli was a business man in San Francisco. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed Chinatown, he was one of a group of merchants who hired American architects to rebuild San Francisco's Chinatown in a stereotypical "Oriental" style in order to promote tourism and social change.In 1907, he co-founded the Canton Bank of San Francisco.His brother, Lee Eli, was also a wealthy banker.