IMO, the visa changes are probably unfounded rumors. All Chinese embassy websites I checked, still carry the same visa types and F is very much there. An email to them got me pretty much the same info as below:
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/visas/zgqz/t943855.htm
http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/ls/vfc/t1038740.htm
http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/visa/
http://www.chinaembassy.org.nz/eng/lsqz/prcd/
I very much doubt, not updating any of the worldwide embassy website is an oversight.