Don't take what you read from China Embassy website too seriousl

Why don't you just contact uschinavisa.com and ask them? From what I know, it still works. A friend of mine just submit an application last week. If China Embassy really changed its rules, you'd expect uschinavisa.com to know about that and refuse the application altogether. I guess you didn't check China Embassy's web page often. It always states that you need to bring the child to the embassy for travel certificate, even back in 2003. But actually you can use this service. Don't take those statements seriously. Living in China for many years should prepare you to understand those "fine prints" better.