MOE policy changes all the time. The latest news is they will generally let the university to decide whether you are capable of undertaking a postgraduate study, i.e. less strict policy now.
Written application is basically about why/how much you want to undertake a postgraduate program, how capable you are etc. I have known that some just wrote a few sentences whereas some other ppl wrote a few pages.
For recommendations, one copy can do already. Of course it is doesn't hurt to submit two or more copies. It would be good if you can get a recommendation from the offeror.
