Tommy Fleetwood turned in 32 to open up a one-shot lead early on day one of the Shenzhen International.
The Englishman is enjoying a career-best year so far in 2017, winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and finishing second at the WGC - Mexico Championship.
After a week off following the Masters Tournament he arrived in China fully refreshed, and the man who sits second on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex established a slim advantage after nine holes.
Countrymen David Howell and Chris Paisley, American Daniel Im and Australian Jason Scrivener were then all at three under.
Fleetwood had spoken coming into the week of his fondness for the layout at Genzon Golf Club and he certainly made himself right at home on Thursday.
Starting from the tenth, he birdied his opener, the 11th, 13th and 14th to get to four under and move ahead.
Im also started on the back nine and he was bogey-free with a hat-trick of birdies from the 18th.
Paisley made three birdies in a row from the 11th in his first five holes and Scrivener was blemish-free in his first ten with gains on the sixth, ninth and tenth.
Playing partner Howell birdied the third but gave the shot back on the fourth before making further gains on the fifth, seventh and ninth.
Scot David Drysdale had an eagle on the 13th to help him get to two under alongside Chinese duo Li Haotong and Yang Guang-ming, Dane Lucas Bjerregaard, South Africans Dean Burmester and Haydn Porteous, New Zealander Ryan Fox, Swede Rikard Karlberg and American Bubba Watson.
