In electron-positron annihilation, the process $e^+e^- \to \chi_{c1}$ can occur via the production of two virtual photons or through neutral current, therefore being suppressed with respect to the normal annihilation process via one virtual photon. Using a dedicated scan sample around the $\chi_{c1}$ mass, the direct production of $\chi_{c1}$ has been established for the first time. This provides a new approach for the study of the internal nature of hadrons. We report also the search for the direct production of the $𝑋(3872)$ state, where no significant signal has been observed and we estimated an improved upper limit.