The black tent is a highly distinctive dwelling of Tibetan herders, a traditional residential culture that has continued to this day, and a "living fossil" of the historical and cultural heritage of nomadic peoples. The black tent features warmth in winter and coolness in summer, durability, ease of assembly and disassembly, and convenient portability. Its characteristics can be briefly summarized as: "Dark in color and resistant to terrain, it withstands wind and frost and is easy to move; the materials are simple to prepare, and its quality endures the passage of time."

According to records in Xizang Residents one of the Chinese resident architecture series， and Histories between Pillars,  in ancient times, people on the plateau covered simple tents with animal skins and branches, forming the earliest prototype of black tents.With the emergence of weaving and braiding techniques, the craftsmanship of black tent making was gradually refined. The black tent is made from yak down and yak hair, which can be collected annually from one's own yaks. The spinning tools used for twisting yak hair threads include wooden spindles and antler spindles, both of which can be made by the herders themselves, and the women in herding families are all skilled at weaving the yak hair threads into tent fabric.

A complete black tent embodies extensive knowledge of Tibetan astronomical and calendrical calculations. The number of pillars varies by region, but generally there are thirteen pillars, symbolizing the thirteen protective war deities. Around the four outer sides, taller pillars are used to anchor four main ropes and eight inner leveling lines; these twelve ropes symbolize the twelve zodiac animals. Near the ground on the tent edges, nine wooden pegs are used to secure the left, right, and rear sides of the black tent, symbolizing the nine palaces. The thin ropes used to pitch the black tent are all two-tone braided cords of black and white, with each cord bearing thirty-six dzi grain patterns; there are ten such decorative cords in total, with 360 dzi patterns, symbolizing the 360 days of the year (the approximate calculation in Tibetan astronomical calendars). The entire black tent consists of two large panels, and where they join, there are thirty peg holes for fastening, symbolizing the number of days in a month.

The shapes of black tents vary slightly from place to place and can be broadly divided into  flat tent, black tent house, and non-black tent. Regardless of the form, however, they all strive to resemble the shape of a tortoise. This is because herders frequently move with their livestock and, upon arriving at a new site, find it difficult to discern the local feng shui; the tortoise is believed to counteract unfavorable feng shui, ensuring safety and protecting the prosperity of both people and livestock. 

The black tent is made by sewing together two large pieces of thick fabric woven from black yak hair. The joining components along the central seam are wooden buttons and button loops made of yak-hair cords, which the herders call the male button and female button. Beneath them runs a long, straight crossbeam about as thick as a bowl, placed atop two upright poles to form the entire tent ridge; larger tents require three or four upright poles. At the points where the crossbeam and upright poles meet, a cervical vertebra joint of a yak is fitted over the top of each upright pole; the upper end of the joint has a groove that fits snugly around the crossbeam, preventing it from falling.

The top of the black tent is rectangular, with each of its four corners supported by an upright tent pole, and each pole top has a pad shaped like a hat. On the inside top of the tent, two thick ropes run from above the tent entrance, parallel to the tent fabric, all the way to the back of the tent; where they pass over the four inner poles, there are fastenings that connect to the corner ropes, which pass through the tent fabric and pull up the four top corners from the outside. Two additional thick ropes run parallel to the inner tent fabric, connecting to the fastenings at the pole pads and extending down to the lower sides of the four corners, where they join the outer ropes; each such rope is pulled taut with the help of a wooden pole. The lowest edges of the four corners are fastened to the ground nearby.

On the inner ceiling of the black tent, along the central seam, there are inner ropes attached to the fastenings; these pass through the tent fabric and connect to the large outer tent ropes. Around the tent, smaller tent ropes pull the fabric from the outside. The large tent ropes require upright poles to support them, while the smaller ones do not. Door ropes, back ropes, corner ropes, auxiliary corner ropes, edge corner ropes, large tent ropes, and small tent ropes all pull the tent fabric from various upper, middle, and lower angles; one end of each rope is tied to a tent peg, which is firmly driven into the ground. The outer tent ropes are connected to the surrounding small tent ropes, forming the tent's lower hem, known as quza'er, which serves to block rainwater from flowing in. The black tent requires countless upright poles, divided into inner and outer poles; among the inner poles, the door pole is made of juniper wood and the rear pole of birch wood, symbolizing the prosperity of the family.

In the very center of the tent roof, a skylight is left open. This not only allows bright sunlight to shine in but also lets cooking smoke escape from inside; it also functions as a natural clock, as herders can tell the time by observing the light passing through the skylight. Usually, a cover cloth is placed over the skylight, opened during the day and closed at night, to keep out rain, snow, and cold wind.

For thousands of years, the way of production and life of nomadic herders—moving according to grass and water sources and settling by water—has determined their frequent migrations and unsettled dwellings, making the tent the best choice for their production and daily life. Moving with the water and grass, choosing a sunny, waterside, wind-sheltered, and flat grassy spot, and pitching a tent to settle down wherever they go reflect the fine nomadic tradition of protecting the ecology, cherishing resources, loving living beings, and upholding the harmonious coexistence of heaven, earth, humanity, and all things.