前中国国务院总理朱鎔基于北京逝世，享年98岁[1]。德国之声发文认为，其逝世标志着中国经济乐观改革时代的终结，在习近平治下"江朱时代"已成为中国网民怀旧的符号[1]。
朱鎔基因直言不讳和推动国企改革等举措赢得民间声望[1]。1998年担任总理期间，他在首场记者会上表示"不管前面是地雷陣，還是萬丈深淵，都將勇往直前，義無反顧，鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已"[1]。他曾直言准备了100口棺材，99口给贪官，1口留给自己[1]。任期从1998年至2003年[1]，朱鎔基推出的改革包括大举改革国企、促成加入世贸组织等举措[1]。"豆腐渣工程"一词源自1998年他在勘灾时的斥责[1]。然而，尽管其改革成就卓著，最终未能从制度上阻止腐败[1]。
自2012年习近平出任中共总书记后，"江朱时代"逐渐成为带有怀旧色彩的符号[1]。
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji passed away in Beijing at the age of 98 [1]. His death comes during Xi Jinping's leadership, a period that German media commentary suggests marks the symbolic end of China's era of economic optimism and reform [1].
Zhu served as Premier from 1998 to 2003 [1], a tenure marked by bold economic initiatives including major state-owned enterprise reforms and China's accession to the World Trade Organization [1]. He earned widespread public admiration for his candid speech and reform efforts [1]. At his first press conference as Premier in 1998, Zhu declared: "No matter if ahead lies a minefield or a bottomless abyss, I will forge ahead with no turning back, dedicating myself until my dying breath" [1]. He also famously stated he had prepared 100 coffins—99 for corrupt officials and one for himself [1]. The term "tofu-dregs projects," referring to shoddy construction, originated from Zhu's criticism during a disaster inspection in 1998 [1].
Despite his reputation and accomplishments, Zhu ultimately could not prevent corruption through institutional reforms [1]. Since Xi Jinping became Communist Party General Secretary in 2012, the "Jiang-Zhu era"—named after his predecessor Jiang Zemin—has gradually transformed into a nostalgic symbol among Chinese internet users, reflecting a yearning for that earlier period of reform optimism [1].