XI'AN, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The first emperor of China would be rolling in his grave if he knew his Qin empire outlived him by only three years, and its last emperor had since been lying within a kilometer of himself for 2,200 years.

    A noted Chinese archaeologist, who was heavily involved in the excavation and research of Qin Shihuang's terracotta army, has located the tomb of Ziying, the third and last emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.), about 500 meters from the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang in the suburbs east of Xi'an, capital of the northwestern Shaanxi Province.

    Ziying's tomb, 109 meters long, 26 meters wide and 15.5 meters deep, was the second largest in the area after the grave of the first emperor himself, said Yuan Zhongyi, former curator at the Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang.

    The tomb was found in 2003 and archaeologists have since been trying to identify its occupant. Subsequent excavations of bronze ware and textiles indicated the tomb dated back to the Qin Dynasty.

    Yuan, who has been excavating and studying heritage pieces from the mausoleum since 1974, has concluded the most likely occupant was Ziying, who ruled the Qin Dynasty for 46 days before it ended and he himself was killed.

    "This one has to be Ziying's tomb as the tombs of all other rulers of Qin have been located," he said. "It was natural to bury the last emperor hastily close to the mausoleum when Qin toppled."

    The size, location and sacrificial items contained in the tomb also indicated its owner enjoyed very high status, he added.

    Qin Shihuang has always been remembered as the emperor who built the Great Wall and had an entire army of clay warriors and horses sculpted to help him rule in the afterlife.

    The terracotta army buried around Qin Shihuang's mausoleum was one of the greatest archeological finds of modern times. It was discovered in Lintong county, 35 km east of Xi'an, in 1974 by peasants who were digging a well.

    The largest ever overseas exhibition of the terracotta army, including 20 life-sized clay statues of warriors, acrobats and musicians, began at the British Museum on Sep. 13 and will last until next April.

    When Qin Shihuang died in 210 B.C., his youngest son, Hu Hai, ascended the throne. Within three years the Qin empire fell apart and the second emperor committed suicide. His tomb is located in the southern suburbs of Xi'an.

    But the true identity of Qin's last emperor Ziying remains controversial. Some historians say he was the nephew or elder brother of the second emperor, while others believe he was the younger brother of Qin Shihuang. No one knows how old he was when he was killed in 206 B.C.