I dont know if its a new rule, cos i was told i needed my original degree a few years ago. I thought it was kinda dangerous to send from home, as it coulda got lost. What i did was get a high-quality copy of it made from a scan (in color, cos it has a big red wax stamp on it) on good paper, and that was sufficient. Some of the better photocopy shops can do it really well. I think it cost 3 kuai!