Great Britain's Murray sits 11th in the ATP's 'Race to London', as he fights for a spot in the tournament which will feature the eight best players of the season.
The tournament in China represents an ideal chance for Murray - handed a wildcard entry - to break his drought of final appearances, as he last played in a tournament decider when he broke through for a momentous win at Wimbledon in 2013.
The fifth-ranked David Ferrer will assume the top seeding for the ATP 250 event, with the Spaniard looking to hold off the likes of Murray to secure his own spot in the Finals.
Ferrer is seventh in the season standings, with just 380 rankings points separating him from Murray.
The only other top-15 player in the field at the hard court tournament will be Ferrer's countryman Roberto Bautista Agut, who reached the fourth round of the US Open in September.
Aged 32, another Spaniard Tommy Robredo continues to defy the doubters as he is in solid form in the latter part of 2014.
Robredo downed world number one Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati in August, before a run to the US Open last 16 - where he was felled by the fourth-ranked Stan Wawrinka.
Richard Gasquet has slipped to number 21 in the world, and the Frenchman will be keen to bounce back into the top echelon quickly.
Gasquet's ranking is the lowest it has been since May 2012, and he has rankings points to defend late on from the 2013 campaign - including a semi-final appearance in Beijing, a title win in Moscow and a quarter-final run in Paris.