Jinho Choi joined Matt Wallace at the top of the leaderboard during round three on a low scoring morning at the Volvo China Open.
The South Korean posted a 65 to set the clubhouse target at ten under but overnight leader Wallace picked up a shot in his first three holes to move back to the summit.
Defending champion Alexander Levy, countryman Clément Sordet and home favourite Wu Ashun were all at nine under having completed their rounds, with Julien Guerrier and Nacho Elivira also a shot off the lead.
There were then six players at eight under on a congested leaderboard.
With very little wind at Topwin Golf & Country Club, the course was there for the taking and Choi and Levy were the first men to take advantage.
The Frenchman started the day just one shot above the cut-line but four birdies in a row from the fifth saw him turn in 32. He bogeyed the tenth but added gains on the 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th to set the early target.
Choi soon moved past him as the rookie also posted a 65.
The 2017 Korean PGA money list winner birdied the fourth and sixth before eagling the eighth, added another birdie on the 15th and holed a long right-to-lefter on the last for a second eagle of the day.
Another Frenchman in Sordet signed for a 66 with an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys to sit a shot off the lead.
The Tricolore was flying high near the top of the leaderobard and Guerrier holed a monster putt on the first and then took advantage of the fourth to join that group at nine under.
When the final pair got under way, Wallace and Elvira parred the first but the Spaniard holed a huge putt on the second for birdie and there were five players in a tie for second.
That soon became four as Englishman Wallace put his approach to ten feet on the third and made his first birdie of the day to join the lead at ten under.
Wu - the 2015 champion - then joined the party at nine under as he completed a 66 containing seven birdies and a bogey.
Micah Lauren Shin was in the clubhouse at eight under with Andrea Pavan, Joost Luiten, Soomin Lee, Sihwan Kim and Jason Scrivener all out on the course.
