Hideki Matsuyama continued his brilliant birdie blitz at Sheshan International Golf Club to take the halfway lead at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
The Japanese - who broke into the top ten on the Official World Golf Ranking this week - took his birdie tally to 19 in 36 holes in a 65 that moved him to 13 under and opened up a three-shot lead over defending champion Russell Knox and American Bill Haas.
England's Richard Bland and Italian Francesco Molinari were then at eight under alongside American Daniel Berger.
World Number Three Rory McIlroy is in the hunt for a third consecutive Race to Dubai title and a brilliant 66 moved him to seven under with English duo Paul Casey and Ross Fisher, and local favourite Xinjun Zhang.
Matsuyama does not have the best record in the season's final World Golf Championships event, only completing the tournament on one of his three visits when he finished 41st in 2014.
He looked very much at home on Friday, though, as he conquered the windier conditions with nine birdies and two bogeys, coming home in 31 for the lowest round of the day.
The 24 year old started with a bogey but then made birdies on the second, third, seventh and eighth before dropping another shot on the ninth. He was giving himself lots of chances with some fine iron play and made further gains on the tenth, 11th, 12th and 14th before a stunning approach set up a closing birdie.
"I haven't really played well here before," he said. "So before coming here, I was a little bit nervous again thinking, maybe it's not going to be a good week for me.
"But then I decided, oh, wait a minute, let's just have fun this week. It's made a difference.
I hit some good second shots and made some putts and that's what made the round score well for me - Hideki Matsuyama
"I have been playing well but really, today, I hit some good second shots and made some putts and that's what made the round score well for me."
Knox's 66 on Thursday was the best opening round from a defending champion at this event and he followed it up with a 68 on a cold and windy day in Shanghai.
The Scot birdied the second but gave the shot straight back before setting up a tap-in birdie with a stunning approach to the fifth.
Another gain came on the seventh and he played the par five eighth beautifully, going short off the tee and laying up to allow himself to set up another short-range birdie. He made a fifth gain of the day on the 12th.
"I'm thrilled," he said. "Conditions were extremely difficult and I played well.
"I had a couple of chances there at the end which I would have loved to have made but it was hard out there. I was a little cold but I'm built for this. As much as I would say I don't enjoy playing in this, I'm good at it.
"So I hope it's like this on the weekend. You have to try and find your edge. So if you have a good attitude when the weather gets bad like that, you can maybe pick up half a shot mentally."
Haas made a fast start with birdies on the second, third and fifth and back-to-back gains on the tenth and 11th moved him to ten under before he bogeyed the 13th and birdied the 16th.
I was a little cold but I'm built for this. As much as I would say I don't enjoy playing in this, I'm good at it - Russell Knox
Bland was making his World Golf Championships debut in his 396th European Tour event and made birdies on the 11th, 13th and 14th before holing a 15-footer on the 16th. An eight-footer on the 18th gave him a 12th birdie of the week but he bogeyed the first and came back in 37.
Molinari - the 2010 champion - was level par for his round stood on the 16th tee but finished birdie-birdie-birdie to move up the leaderboard, while Berger made his only bogey of the week so far on the 15th but added birdies on the eighth, 11th and 16th.
McIlroy got the putter going with birdies on the second, fifth, seventh, 11th, 13th and 14th and while he dropped a shot on the 16th after finding the trees off the tee, he picked it back up on the last.
Fisher finished in a tie for third here last season and he picked up four shots on the front nine in a 68, with Casey making five birdies and three bogeys.
Zhang recovered from a double-bogey on the eighth to card a 69 and sit a shot ahead of Dean Burmester and Rickie Fowler.
