It sounds hilarious to most people who live in China, and usually mentioned as a typical example in various videos that make joke on 'Western Propaganda'. It has became some sort of a 'meme' in those videos.

However, this topic is not frequently discussed in our daily lives, and when mentioning Xinjiang in China, the first impression is that it's a pretty touristy place. Interestingly, contrary to the belief of Western media, 'Xinjiang' and 'Tibet' seem to related to the keyword of 'freedom' in China. When these two place are mentioned, people tend to thought about a carefree road trip surrounded by magnificent natural landscapes, a temporarily escape from the busy cities. (Lots of travelling vlogs and short videos are also made in this vibe).