Soomin Lee, Alexander Levy and Lee Slattery all shared the lead as the Shenzhen International went into a fifth day at Genzon Golf Club.
More than six and a half hours had been lost on days one and two due to storms, and when another lengthy stoppage on Sunday meant the final round could not be completed, the scene was set for a dramatic Monday shootout in Guangdong.
Lee, Levy and Slattery were all 14 under on the back nine when it became too dark to continue, with the South Korean and the Englishman having completed 13 holes, and Levy facing a birdie putt on the 13th green when play resumes at 6.30am in the first Monday finish at a regular European Tour event since the 2011 Singapore Open.
Australian Scott Hend was in the clubhouse at 13 under after an impressive 66, alongside South African Brandon Stone who had played 13 holes and Dutchman Joost Luiten who was facing a par putt on the 16th.
Victory for Lee would be a first European Tour win in just his sixth event while Levy is going for a second triumph on this layout after winning the Volvo China Open in 2014.
Slattery, Hend and Stone are all current holders of European Tour titles while four-time winner Luiten is on course for a sixth top ten in nine events this season.
Lee had held a five-shot lead at one point when round three resumed on Sunday morning but a double-bogey on the 17th meant his advantage after 54 holes was three shots over Levy, Slattery and Callum Shinkwin.
Lee dropped a shot on the first with Levy having a birdie-bogey start to reduce the gap to two, and when Slattery and Levy birdied the sixth and fifth respectively, the lead was down to one.
A lost ball off the tee on the seventh resulted in a Lee double-bogey and a birdie from Slattery on the par five ninth moved him a shot ahead of Levy before two hours and 51 minutes were lost to electrical storms.
Upon the resumption, the Frenchman took advantage of the ninth himself to tie the lead while Lee bounced back well with gains on the tenth and 13th.
Hend recorded a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth and added a further gain on the 11th before he chipped in on the 14th and added another on the 16th.
Luiten had gains on the second, 13th and 14th, while Stone saw a brilliant run of 58 holes without a bogey broken as he recorded five birdies and dropped two shots.
Two-time Major Championship winner Bubba Watson, Nacho Elvira and Rikard Karlberg were then at ten under alongside Bradley Dredge and Thorbjørn Olesen, who had five and three holes to play respectively.
