George Coetzee moved within one shot of the lead as the second round of the Volvo China Open got under way at Topwin Golf and Country Club.
Alexander Levy had set the pace with a 63 on day one and with good scoring conditions early in the day on Friday, the morning starters had the chance to chase him down.
Nobody could catch the Frenchman in the early stages but Coetzee picked up three shots in his first 11 holes to join Pablo Larrazábal at eight under.
Raphaël Jacquelin and Dean Burmester both picked up two shots on Friday morning to get to seven under, a shot clear of Dylan Frittelli and Bernd Ritthammer.
Coetzee has been in fine form of late, with three top tens in his last six appearances, and he held a share of the lead stood on the last tee in Shenzhen last week before carding a closing eight.
Starting on the back nine, the South African birdied the 11th for the second day in a row but then gave the shot back on the 12th before picking up shots on the 13th, 15th and 16th.
Countryman Burmester said after Thursday's opener he felt he was playing his best golf since he won the Tshwane Open in March and he picked up shots on the 13th and 14th to turn in 34.
Jacquelin also picked up two shots on Friday morning, birdieing the fifth, eighth and 11th but bogeying the tenth after going out in the first group of the day.
Frittelli started his round birdie-eagle from the tenth and then picked up another shot on the 15th, while a hat-trick of birdies from the eighth helped move Ritthammer three off the lead.
Peter Hanson and James Morrison were among the later starters at five under, with Levy and Larrazábal due out in the afternoon.
