China's cordyceps production accounts for 98% of the world's total, while Qinghai’s cordyceps accounts for more than 60% of China's output. As one of the major producing areas of cordyceps in the Qinghai, Zadoi County is known as the "first county of cordyceps" in China. The cordyceps are very precious, so they are also called "soft gold". Millions of farmers and herdsmen in Qinghai province have benefited from the cordyceps industry.

According to Wenda Tsering, director of Zadoi County Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Science and Technology Bureau, the price of cordyceps has continued to rise in the past five years. In 2021, Zadoi County’s annual output of cordyceps is about 20,000 kg., and the annual transaction is about 2 billion yuan, with the price of 80,000 yuan to 120,000 yuan per kg.

Tsering Dawa, a herdsman in Zadoi County, has a family of seven, whose main source of income is cordyceps. "In 2021, we dug a total of 3.5 kg of cordyceps (10,500 cordyceps), and sold a total of 352,000 yuan. The price of middle and upper class cordyceps continues to increase.” He said.