Development of Nianbadu began in 1931 in abasin in the Xianxia Mountains where the threeprovinces of Zhejiang，Fujian and Jiangxi meet.
The town is surrounded by mountains covered in trees.
To the south is the Xiaogangling Reservoir，which feedsthe Nianbadu Creek flowing from north to south，creatinga beautiful scene.Nianbadu was important commerciallyand militarily in ancient times.Many militarypersonnel and traders passed through the town duringits 1，000 years of history，leaving their trace in the 142 differentsurnames and nine dialects and a wide variety offolk customs and folk arts in the town and producing an“immigrant culture”in the town different from that ofother ancient towns in southern China.Thus people callit a“cultural enclave”and“small immigrant town.”
The major families of the ancient town include thefamilies of Cao，Jiang，Yang，and Jin，which are groupedin clans.A total of 36 large ancient courtyard compoundshave been entirely preserved.Standing on the old streets，the most obvious and unique feature is the lintels of thedoorways，usually in the form of an arched doorway，with overhead beam，rafter，and eaves.Every part is decoratedwith carefully crafted wood carvings in the formof auspicious symbols.
Because the ancient town was protected by surroundingmountain passes，it was seldom subject to attack.Twosections of ancient commercial streets about one kilometerin length and 36 common dwellings have been fairlywell preserved.One ancient street in the town that wasbuilt in the 19th century is so narrow that a modern carcannot pass through it，but the two sides of the street aretightly packed with stores and shops.The interior of thehouses are neat and clean and in the doorways hang traditionalsigns.The street stretches 1.5 kilometers in lengthand reflects the rich cultural atmosphere of the Ming andQing dynasties.Over 10 public buildings and more than20 common residences have basically preserved the architecturalappearance of the Ming and Qing dynasties.Thearchitectural styles are different from the style of divertingrainwater to the courtyard of the Zhejiang-Anhui regionof rivers and lakes，blending the style of wood carvingsfrom Zhejiang，the engraved bricks of Anhui andthe stucco walls of Jiangxi and architectural styles of theHakka people of northern Fujian and even Roccoco style.In particular，the two“Wenchang Pavilions，”one largeand one small，contain frescoes with extremely high culturalvalue and stone inscriptions，which are seldom seenin the country.For these reasons they have been calledthe“museum of folk architecture.”
In the ancient town of Nianbadu，with its ancientpaths，impregnable pass，small bridges，peasant houses，and flowing water，ancient streets follow the windingpath of the brook with a patchwork of ancient buildingsof various heights.The major scenic spots in the town include“Shui’an Liangfeng，”“Fengxi Wangyue，”“ZhengshouQinglan，”and“Longshan Muma.”
