diff --git a/nnvm/include/nnvm/node.h b/nnvm/include/nnvm/node.h
index d6eb5817abc7..51e7a6049001 100644
--- a/nnvm/include/nnvm/node.h
+++ b/nnvm/include/nnvm/node.h
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ struct NodeEntry {
  *  Usually are additional parameters like axis,
  */
 struct NodeAttrs {
+  /*! \brief name of the node */
+  std::string name;
   /*! \brief The dictionary representation of attributes */
   std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> dict;
   /*!
@@ -46,13 +48,11 @@ struct NodeAttrs {
  */
 class Node {
  public:
-  /*! \brief name of the node */
-  std::string name;
   /*!
    * \brief The operator this node uses.
    *  For place holder variable, op == nullptr.
    */
-  const Op *op;
+  const Op *op{nullptr};
   /*! \brief inputs to this node */
   std::vector<NodeEntry> inputs;
   /*!
diff --git a/nnvm/src/pass/saveload_json.cc b/nnvm/src/pass/saveload_json.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9e82f1bd59cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nnvm/src/pass/saveload_json.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+/*!
+ *  Copyright (c) 2016 by Contributors
+ * \file saveload_json.cc
+ * \brief Passes that defines save and load graph to/from JSON file.
+ */
+#include <nnvm/pass.h>
+#include <dmlc/json.h>
+#include <algorithm>
+
+namespace dmlc {
+namespace json {
+// overload handler for shared ptr
+template<>
+struct Handler<std::shared_ptr<const any> > {
+  inline static void Write(JSONWriter *writer, const std::shared_ptr<const any> &data) {
+    writer->Write(*data);
+  }
+  inline static void Read(JSONReader *reader, std::shared_ptr<const any> *data) {
+    any v;
+    reader->Read(&v);
+    *data = std::make_shared<any>(std::move(v));
+  }
+};
+}  // namespace json
+}  // namespace dmlc
+
+namespace nnvm {
+namespace pass {
+
+// auxiliary node structure for serialization.
+struct JSONNode {
+  // the node entry structure in serialized format
+  typedef std::pair<uint32_t, uint32_t> Entry;
+  // pointer to the graph node
+  std::shared_ptr<Node> node;
+  // inputs
+  std::vector<Entry> inputs;
+  // control flow dependencies
+  std::vector<uint32_t> control_deps;
+
+  // function to save JSON node.
+  void Save(dmlc::JSONWriter *writer) const {
+    writer->BeginObject();
+    if (node->op != nullptr) {
+      writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("op", node->op->name);
+      writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("attr", node->attrs.dict);
+    } else {
+      std::string json_null = "null";
+      writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("op", json_null);
+    }
+    writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("name", node->attrs.name);
+    writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("inputs", inputs);
+    writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("control_deps", control_deps);
+    writer->EndObject();
+  }
+
+  void Load(dmlc::JSONReader *reader) {
+    node = std::move(Node::Create());
+    control_deps.clear();
+    dmlc::JSONObjectReadHelper helper;
+    std::string op_type_str;
+    helper.DeclareField("op", &op_type_str);
+    helper.DeclareField("name", &(node->attrs.name));
+    helper.DeclareField("inputs", &inputs);
+    helper.DeclareOptionalField("attr", &(node->attrs.dict));
+    helper.DeclareOptionalField("control_deps", &control_deps);
+    // backward compatible code with mxnet graph.
+    int backward_source_id;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> param;
+    helper.DeclareOptionalField("param", &param);
+    helper.DeclareOptionalField("backward_source_id", &backward_source_id);
+    node->attrs.dict.insert(param.begin(), param.end());
+    helper.ReadAllFields(reader);
+
+    if (op_type_str != "null") {
+      try {
+        node->op = Op::Get(op_type_str);
+      } catch (const dmlc::Error &err) {
+        std::ostringstream os;
+        os << "Failed loading Op " << node->attrs.name
+           << " of type " << op_type_str << ": " << err.what();
+        throw dmlc::Error(os.str());
+      }
+    } else {
+      node->op = nullptr;
+    }
+  }
+};
+
+// graph structure to help read/save JSON.
+struct JSONGraph {
+  std::vector<JSONNode> nodes;
+  std::vector<uint32_t> arg_nodes;
+  std::vector<JSONNode::Entry> heads;
+  std::unordered_map<std::string, std::shared_ptr<const any> > attrs;
+
+  void Save(dmlc::JSONWriter *writer) const {
+    writer->BeginObject();
+    writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("nodes", nodes);
+    writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("arg_nodes", arg_nodes);
+    writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("heads", heads);
+    if (attrs.size() != 0) {
+      writer->WriteObjectKeyValue("attrs", attrs);
+    }
+    writer->EndObject();
+  }
+
+  void Load(dmlc::JSONReader *reader) {
+    attrs.clear();
+    dmlc::JSONObjectReadHelper helper;
+    helper.DeclareField("nodes", &nodes);
+    helper.DeclareField("arg_nodes", &arg_nodes);
+    helper.DeclareField("heads", &heads);
+    helper.DeclareOptionalField("attrs", &attrs);
+    helper.ReadAllFields(reader);
+  }
+};
+
+// Load a graph from JSON file.
+Graph LoadJSON(const Graph& src) {
+  CHECK_NE(src.attrs.count("json"), 0)
+      << "Load JSON require json to be presented.";
+  const std::string &json_str =
+      nnvm::get<std::string>(*src.attrs.at("json"));
+  std::istringstream is(json_str);
+  dmlc::JSONReader reader(&is);
+  JSONGraph jgraph;
+  // load in json graph.
+  jgraph.Load(&reader);
+  // connects the nodes
+  for (JSONNode &n : jgraph.nodes) {
+    n.node->inputs.reserve(n.inputs.size());
+    for (const JSONNode::Entry &e : n.inputs) {
+      n.node->inputs.emplace_back(
+          NodeEntry{jgraph.nodes[e.first].node, e.second});
+    }
+    n.node->control_deps.reserve(n.control_deps.size());
+    for (uint32_t nid : n.control_deps) {
+      n.node->control_deps.push_back(jgraph.nodes[nid].node);
+    }
+  }
+  // consistent check
+  for (uint32_t nid : jgraph.arg_nodes) {
+    CHECK(jgraph.nodes[nid].node->is_variable());
+  }
+  // return the graph
+  Graph ret;
+  ret.attrs = std::move(jgraph.attrs);
+  ret.outputs.reserve(jgraph.heads.size());
+  for (const JSONNode::Entry &e : jgraph.heads) {
+    ret.outputs.emplace_back(
+        NodeEntry{jgraph.nodes[e.first].node, e.second});
+  }
+  return ret;
+}
+
+// save a graph to json
+Graph SaveJSON(const Graph& src) {
+  JSONGraph jgraph;
+  std::unordered_map<Node*, uint32_t> node2index;
+  src.DFSVisit([&node2index, &jgraph](const std::shared_ptr<Node>& n) {
+      uint32_t nid = static_cast<uint32_t>(jgraph.nodes.size());
+      node2index[n.get()] = nid;
+      if (n->is_variable()) {
+        jgraph.arg_nodes.push_back(nid);
+      }
+      JSONNode jnode;
+      jnode.node = n;
+      jnode.inputs.reserve(n->inputs.size());
+      for (const NodeEntry& e : n->inputs) {
+        jnode.inputs.emplace_back(
+            std::make_pair(node2index.at(e.node.get()), e.index));
+      }
+      for (const std::shared_ptr<Node>& c : n->control_deps) {
+        jnode.control_deps.push_back(node2index.at(c.get()));
+      }
+      jgraph.nodes.emplace_back(std::move(jnode));
+    });
+
+  std::ostringstream os;
+  dmlc::JSONWriter writer(&os);
+  jgraph.Save(&writer);
+  Graph ret;
+  ret.attrs["json"] = std::make_shared<any>(os.str());
+  return ret;
+}
+
+// register pass
+NNVM_REGISTER_PASS(LoadJSON)
+.describe("Return a new Graph, loaded from src.attrs[\"json\"]")
+.set_body(LoadJSON)
+.set_change_graph(true)
+.depend_graph_attr("json");
+
+NNVM_REGISTER_PASS(SaveJSON)
+.describe("Return a new empty Graph. Save graph to ret.attrs[\"json\"]")
+.set_body(SaveJSON)
+.set_change_graph(true)
+.provide_graph_attr("json");
+
+}  // namespace pass
+}  // namespace nnvm