Glacier No.1 has longer observation history and fuller records than any other glacier in China. In June 1958, Daxigou Weather Station was established right below Glacier No.1 at the mountainside of Tiangeer Peak, to measure and analyse the weather conditions in the area. In 1959-60, the research group for the use of mountainous ice and snow , Chinese Academy of Sciences, sent 8 sub-groups to investigate into the glaciers in Tian Shan, during which Tianshan Glaciological Station near Glacier No.1 was set up by Shi Yafeng in 1959. The glacier was first named as Shengli Daban Glacier No.1 before changing to the current name. In 1967-1979, the Cultural Revolution and other factors interrupted the observation. In 1982, the glacier became part of World Glacier Monitoring Service as a reference glacier. In 2010, an observation tower was built in the glacier area. In 2013, the glacier was listed among the sites for Global Cryosphere Watch.