From my experience, spousal visas are becoming a big joke. Last year, without any medical check requests, i could get a one year L in Guangdong, where my wife's hukou was. This year, however, when i applied for the same one year spousal L as last year, just like the OP here, i also was offered a 6 months Spousal L only. According to the local PSB in the location, the regulations changed and one year spousal RP with a health check necessary was available instead. With the health check necessary, i have felt the same way as the OP here. I have a 3 year old son, born on mainland China, and my wife, a local, has her mother seriously ill. Hypothetically, and as the OP has also suggested in his case, if i failed the health check, i would probably have to abandon my little son, wife and her ill mother. Really, this isn't just about the human rights but about some seriously sick logic of a few foreigner haters with roled up sleeves, and pants above their knees somewhere in a smoky room.
Cheers and beers to some hopeful improvements in spousal visa issues