李銳《張馬丁的第八天》是則涵義豐富的文化寓言，以天主教與娘娘教中重要人物的生命軌跡，象徵中西文化從衝突走向融合的可能與困境。張天賜與萊高維諾是中西宗教體系的典型代表，其封閉、傳統的作風只能帶領雙方走向碰撞與毀滅。而雙方激烈衝突的結果，是把人性的黑暗面徹底激發出來。義和團的種種暴行，以先行的姿態暴露了日後文革的真實面貌，埋下了浩劫的因子，這種內在脈絡上的連結也正是李銳選擇此一書寫題材的動機所在。然而在經歷超自然的復活與附身之後，原本將遵循傳統的信仰接班人張王氏與張馬丁，卻一舉突破既有格局，親身開創出了截然不同的道路。兩人跨越國族、宗教與倫理界線的結合，成為了中國知識分子在面臨現代化巨變時，嘗試全盤接受西方文化以找尋文明新出路的典型象徵。但是張王氏在喪夫後的瘋狂，已然預示了此種貿然結合下的悲劇結局。雖然現代中國人終究得面臨文化認同上的失落與迷惘，但擱置仇恨、走向混融的大膽嘗試，終究為後世開啟了如何面對西方強勢文化挑戰的全新可能。

Li Rui’s novel “Zhang Martin’s eighth Day” is a copious fable about cultures. He used the tracks of important role’s lives from Catholic and Nuwa religion to symbolize the possibility and difficulty that the Chinese culture try to transform the conflict between itself and Western culture to a fusion. Zhang Tian-Ci and bishop Lecorvino are the typical representatives of Chinese and Western religions’ system, their closed and traditional styles can just bring each side to collision and destruction. This kind of intense conflict aroused the dark side of human mind. The atrocities of Yihetuan exposed the real face of 66-years-later Cultural Revolution, setting the scene for the unprecedented disaster. And this inner connection of two tragedies had become the motivation for Li Rui to write this story. After the supernatural experiences : Zhang Martin’s resurrection and Zhang Wang Si’s possession, both the successors of Catholic and Nuwa religion had Broken through the inherent pattern, creating a totally different kind of path to fulfill their lives’ meanings. Their combination which crosses the borders of nations, religions and ethics has become a typical symbol of Chinese intellectuals who tried to accept Western culture comprehensively to find the new way out when facing the radical change of modernization. But Zhang Wang Si’s madness after the death of her husband had already indicated the tragic end of this rushed combination. Although modern Chinese people finally have to face the loss of cultural identity, the courageous attempt to lay aside the hatred and accept the mixing had still created a brand new possibility to face the challenge from the dominant Western culture.