The "Tao Te Ching" is, apparently, the basis for both peaceful living, and the martial aspects of Tai Chi Chuan. It was written by many masters acting as one, collectively know as Lao Tzu.
Lao Tzu profile:
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jun/laotzu.html Articles on other interesting Chinese texts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingjing_Jing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xishengjing