Having practiced both tai chi and yoga (and my partner as well), as well as kung fu, X-country skiiing, swimming, etc, I can assure you they neither of us find them to be comparable. Tai chi has some exceptional health benefits other forms of exercise simply don't provide, assuming you're actually learning tai chi and not just waving your arms around.
Well, whether they are comparable or not, some have raised the health benefits of yoga too.
I simply say, tai chi is a path. Its a good path but I find it hard to say its an only one
My grandfather cut wood and walked two miles a day. He lived to be 98. The only Chinese thing he ever tried was the game of Go in law school. He loved it. (Note he also loved music and especially that of Liszt.) Would he have lived to 100, had he learned Tai Chi? I've no clue.
Walking worked for him.
Reading books is fine, but not very useful for health and longevity. I mostly read books to get swept up in a good story or to learn facts. Most books of philosophy fall between the cracks because of this. I can come up with my own philosophy easily (can't help it, in fact) but not my own stories or facts.
Well, a book on nutrition is certainly a good thing to consider reading with respect to health and longevity. I'd also recommend perhaps, some books of safety or numerous other books that may help one in certain scenarios. Recipe books are great guides sometimes but one learns cooking by doing somewhat.
Lots of philosophy is pretty fluffy stuff you can learn on your own.
However, there are always people with innovative ideas worth reading for fun. Chuang-Tzi is a fun read, although I got hung up on his first chapter. Any stories by Philip K. Dick will have good philosophical questions.
I think books are extremely useful but the key thing is understanding that there are things we can learn not contained in books. The Taoist masters never said "books were bad" but only that there is a limit to what books can accomplish.
As an example, imagine a chemist, learning his art without ever trying things in the lab? That would be an incomplete education.
