In the 1950s, in order to develop and construct the Hexi Corridor, Gansu Province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences agreed to carry out large-scale investigations on the Qilian Mountain glaciers, and planned to use the semi-annual period to clarify the distribution and quantity of glacial resources in the Qilian Mountains. Ice and snow created conditions for the irrigation of the Hexi Corridor. Therefore, within 10 days, China's first glacier expedition team, the Alpine Ice and Snow Utilization Research Team, was formed. The team consisted of hundreds of people and hired Glacier expert Dawl Gusin of the Soviet Union as a consultant. China's famous glaciologist Shi Yafeng served as the vice captain. The July 1 Glacier is the first glacier discovered by this team.