This paper introduces the relative concepts of virtual enterprise, and proposes a practical virtual enterprise architecture framework using business, application, and technology layers to realize an adaptive virtual enterprise. It also discusses enterprise business classification, application classification, and the supporting technologies and standards. Based on the proposed framework, after analyzing the requirements of Chinese Tobacco Industrial Contemporary Integration Manufacturing System (CTI-CIMS) and the key issues occurred in the current practical of tobacco industrial information system construction, an enterprise application integration pattern which is useful for inter-enterprise application integration has been proposed for the development of adaptive enterprise information system in tobacco industry. In a case study, this paper presents a contemporary tobacco distribution system to proof the proposed virtual enterprise architecture framework. At last, some experiences of enterprise information system integration in Chinese tobacco industrial sector are introduced.