Abstract: The China-made GF-1 satellite data is first selected in glacier change monitoring in Qilian Mountains of Qinghai Province for data sources. The change of glaciers is described by comparing the GF-1 remote sensing data with previous Landsat data of the same scale in terms of area, space, type and structure changes as well as change rates. The comparative study indicates that the GF-1 satellite remote sensing data, superior to medium-low resolution data like ETM in either spectral or textural information, can completely meet the needs of 1:100 000 remote sensing investigation and monitoring in collecting, processing and monitoring the glacier change information. The multispectral data of GF-1 satellite can form correlation data set together with the historical data of Landsat and Aster. The glaciers in Qilian Mountains did not change significantly as a whole, but varied greatly in internal structures and spatial-temporal distribution, with a decreasing trend in both area and number. Considering the specificity of glaciers, it is necessary to get the best remote sensing data in the best season annually.