We　present　a　practice　of　applying　the　Semantic　Web　technologies　in　the　domain　of　Chinese　traditional　architecture.　A　knowledge　base　consisting　of　one　ontology　and　four　rule　bases　is　built　to　support　the　automatic　generation　of　animations　that　demonstrate　the　construction　of　various　Chinese　timber　structures　based　on　the　user＇s　input.　Different　Semantic　Web　formalisms　are　used,　e.g.,　OWL　DL,　SWRL　and　Jess,　to　capture　the　domain　knowledge,　including　the　wooden　components　needed　for　a　given　building,　construction　sequence,　and　the　3D　size　and　position　of　every　piece　of　wood.　Our　experience　in　exploiting　the　current　Semantic　Web　technologies　in　real-world　application　systems　indicates　their　prominent　advantages　(such　as　the　reasoning　facilities　and　modeling　tools)　as　well　as　the　limitations　(such　as　low　efficiency).　©　2010　Springer-Verlag　Berlin　Heidelberg.