Merely 9 percent of Chinese aged 15 to 59 have basic ideas about how to preserve health through traditional Chinese medicine, a nationwide survey found, with those younger and better educated having a better understanding of the time-honored science.

Conducted by the State TCM Administration, the survey sampled nearly 20,000 people and was the first of its kind in the country.

"The findings will help design a future TCM work plan in promoting public health," Zha Dezhong, spokesman for the administration, said on Thursday.