By Peng Pu

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) confirmed Saturday that an ancient tomb was indeed the final resting place for the legendary Chinese warlord Cao Cao.

Workers conducted excavation work Saturday, World Cultural Heritage Day, some of which were broadcast live on China Central Television (CCTV).

Two tombs in the mausoleum were excavated, tomb II, which belonged to Cao Cao and tomb I, which belonged to a king.

"We researched the unearthed stele that has the inscription of 'Wu King of Wei' and we confirmed they were carved around 220 BC, when Cao Cao fell, so we concluded that the cemetery was his," Liu Qingzhu, a researcher at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China National Radio.

Cao Cao's tomb contained a priceless emerald, which was left in the warlord's mouth.

The gem is two centimeters long.

Tomb I was much smaller, and had seven holes, which experts believe were left by tomb raiders.

Besides, several jade pearls of a similar size were removed Saturday from Cao Cao's tomb.

And a side chamber of the tomb had painted tiles that were severely damaged.

Archeologists said unearthed stones were carved with pictures and are probably fragments from a stone chamber making it possibly the earliest found in China, according to China National Radio.

Cao Cao was a politician and general during the Three Kingdoms (220-280). He was known as "Wu King of Wei."

He has been portrayed as intellectual as well as a cunning ruler and writer.

Cao was also regarded as a great poet and had written many literary masterpieces that were passed down through the generations.

On December 27, 2009, his tomb was found in Xigaoxue village in Anyang county, Henan Province and human skulls and bones were recovered.

Besides, a few steles with the words "Wu King of Wei" were dug out but it was not universally accepted Cao Cao was the genuine owner of the tomb until recently.

In January, the administration made a last-minute decision to include the tomb on its list of the top six major archeological findings of 2009.

Local authorities said they plan to turn the mausoleum into a national relic park after the excavation work ends.

They estimated the site would bring in 400 million yuan ($58 million) a year.