Rory McIlroy joined Matthew Fitzpatrick at the top of the leaderboard on a low scoring third day of the WGC-HSBC Champions.
Fitzpatrick entered the day one shot ahead of his playing partner but while the Englishman turned in 34, McIlroy went one better and the duo were locked together at 13 under.
Huge crowds had flocked to Sheshan International Golf Club and they were being treated by local hero Li Haotong, who was one shot off the lead alongside South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele, fellow American Jason Kokrak and South Korea's Sungjae Im were then at 11 under.
Fitzpatrick and Schauffele both put approaches to two feet at the first and while none of the final group could reach the green in two at the par five second, they all got up and down for birdie.
Schauffele then put his approach to tap-in range at the third and the lead was down to one shot once more.
The American was joined at 12 under by Oosthuizen who made a remarkable five birdie start.
A gain from 15 feet on the second was sandwiched by birdies from closer range, before he holed a ten footer on the fourth and put his approach to the fifth to tap-in range.
Fast starts were the order of the day and Li was the next man to get to 12 under, holing from around ten feet at the first, third and fifth, and making the most of the second.
Fitzpatrick holed a monster right to lefter up the slope on the fifth to save par but was soon joined in the lead by Li, who put his tee shot to nine feet on the par three sixth.
Oosthuizen did well to get up and down for par on the seventh and was soon alone in second as Schauffele three putted from a long way away on the fifth.
McIlroy hit an excellent tee shot into the par three sixth and he was within one of the lead, with Oosthuizen dropping back after finding a nasty lie with his his third on the par five eighth.
Fitzpatrick then three putted the seventh after finding sand off the tee and Li was the solo leader.
There were groans from the huge crowds following the penultimate group as Li left a chip in the rough and the resulting bogey meant there was a three way tie.
Fitzpatrick broke out of that group after a nice bounce off the bank at the eighth left him a short putt, with Schauffele also making a gain after a stunning approach.
The pin was near the water at the treacherous ninth but McIlroy took the brave line and was rewarded with a birdie that moved him to the top of the leaderboard.
Schauffele bogeyed the same hole after finding a horrible lie in a bunker off the tee and was replaced at 12 under by Oosthuizen, who holed a right to lefter at the tenth.
Kokrak was six under for his first 12 holes, with Im picking up two by the turn.
Paul Waring was at ten under, a shot clear of Kevin Kisner and Justin Rose.
