Abstract: Kang raised the “natural desire and personal reason” to contradict the “natural reason and personal desire” of Confucian in Song Dynasty., in the new historical period to identify new interpretation of the “Argument for the Rational Desire”, it showed the values change in modern period. Kang Youwei confirmed the desire which were based on value change and modernization process. For values changing, Kang Youwei confirmed the rational desire because Confucianism in Song and Ming highly suppressed human's perceptional desire. Its modern significance could not be ignored; on the other hand, in reality, the industrialization and modernization of the progress of the hedonism provided the possibility of the infinite. Kang had his limitation to pursue the desire , and the infinite expansion of person’s desire destroyed the relationship of harmony between the man and nature, man and society, man and man, which caused the tension and conflict, the tension could not be dissolved by Kang Youwei’s “benevolence”.

Key words: Kang Youwei, Argument for the Rational Desire, Modern China, Concept of value