Is it closer to fly from Shanghai to Jieyang and take bus from airport to Meizhou.

The Jieyang airport is more commonly known as Shantou airport, as it is located at the junction of Shantou, Jieyang and Chaozhou.
And the airport is for sure more closer to Meizhou than Guangzhou. But there is no direct bus from the airport to Meizhou. You need to take airport shuttle bus to Shantou downtown, then change to a long-distance bus (2.5-3 hours) or a train (2.5 hours) to Meizhou.