It was indeed very stupid for me to give original documents to my employer, looking back with 20/20 hindsight. It just never occurred to me that they would end up stolen. What good could they possibly do anyone? It was more naive than anything else. I gave the guy more credit than I should have. I stressed how important the docs were and impressed on him that I spent many hours and a lot of money earning that diploma and to please, please be careful with it but I guess assuming the guy was a sincere, empathetic human being was a bit much to ask. Trust me, I've beaten myself up over this many times. I don't need anyone else to do it. (I have met another guy here that the same thing happened to.)

That being said, I don't understand why China either can't or won't verify degrees the way the rest of the world does with either a transcript or even a phone call. I know for Americans if you know a social security number getting a degree verified is a very simple process and takes only a few minutes. I have a transcript complete with raised seal and the whole works. I'll eventually be able to get a new diploma but it will take a while.

The question I posed in my original post has yet to be answered: Is Shenzhen really "stricter" than every other city in China about such things? I know for a fact that the girl working in the office at my new school is somewhat new at her job and might just THINK an actual diploma is needed but isn't 100% sure. Can the PSB people, or whomever it is that handles these things, be reasoned with? It would be nice if someone who has been through the process in Shenzhen could respond to this.