Pablo Larrazábal set the early pace as the Volvo China Open got under way at Topwin Golf and Country Club.
The Spaniard has found some good form in China, playing the entire weekend in Shenzhen without dropping a shot, and he was bogey-free for his first six holes in Beijing.
He also recorded just two pars, with four birdies handing him a one-shot lead over Belgium's Thomas Detry.
There was then a group of eight players at two under including defending champion and home favourite Li Haotong.
Larrazábal started on the tenth and made two opening birdies before adding further gains on the 13th and 15th.
Challenge Tour graduate Detry also started on the back nine and made birdies on the 11th, 12th and 15th but dropped a shot on the 17th before picking it straight back up to turn in 33.
Li admitted he was expecting a tough week as he defended a European Tour title for the first time but showed no signs of nerves picking up birdies on the 12th and 13th in his first six holes.
Countryman Liu Yan-Wei was also at two under alongside French pair Benjamin Hebert and Alexander Levy, South Korean duo Soomin Lee and YE Yang, South African Darren Fichardt and Swede Johan Carlsson.
Englishman Anthony Wall - making his 500th start this week - was then in the group at one under.
