Research has found, though, that the story was actually fabricated out of whole cloth by a then area office director being interviewed by a journalist in 1963. Today, the Tsou people often joke about the story, saying it's a good thing the man said "Abali" and not "Ali Baba," because no one would ever buy that.
但經調查發現，這竟是 1963 年工作站主任接受記者訪問時「自己編的故事」，現今鄒族後代也嘲諷說，幸好當時沒將「阿巴里」說成「阿里巴巴」，否則豈不更具傳播效果？